The Diploma for Social Protection Managers is an initiative in the field of social protection capacity strengthening. Its central objective is to support the improvement of the administration and management of national social protection systems, through the training of skilled managers and inspirational leaders.

The social protection courses (offered online and face-to-face) listed below are all eligible for the Diploma. Participants need to complete four of the qualified courses within a five-year period as well as the Capstone Project in order to earn the “Social Protection Manager” recognition.

Participants are national and international officials with a number of years’ experience who are committed to advance social protection through strong leadership and management. They should hold bachelor or advanced degrees, or equivalent work experience, and have a strong background in management, public administration, economics, political science, social science, finance, or related fields.

On achieving the Diploma for Social Protection Managers recognition, successful candidates will:

• Have gained cutting edge knowledge and skills in core areas of social protection administration and management;
• Be able to demonstrate the achievement through a recognised certification from the ITCILO; and
• Be part of a growing network of social protection managers to serve as an ongoing platform for exchange.

During each of the four chosen courses, participants are immersed in a rich, intensive and flexible learning programme, which guarantees a steep learning curve in an international environment of knowledge exchange. It also provides a unique opportunity for networking with a large pool of social protection experts.

For each eligible course, the assessment process establishes whether participants have a full grasp of the skills and concepts covered, resulting in a course-specific Certificate of Achievement issued by the ITCILO. To earn the Diploma, participants need to complete four courses and then undertake a capstone assessment demonstrating their consolidated learning across the four courses. The capstone assessment consists of a written assignment that applies analytical approaches from the four completed courses to develop policy recommendations for a specific country context.

The Centre draws on the expertise of the ILO, rooted in over 100 years of standard-setting and technical support on social protection. This experience has produced a deep understanding of how social protection systems can become effective and sustainable in the long term, along with a tried-and-tested set of tools and models that can be adapted to national contexts. The ILO's leading role in international cooperation on social protection also means the Centre can draw on a wide network of expertise across the UN system, academia and beyond.

Ready to become a Social Protection Manager? Start building your Diploma today: choose your first eligible course and take the next step in your leadership journey.