CAKE Open Programme Menu Autumn 2026
Updated: Aug 3
Leadership programmes that work around real jobs.
Every CAKE open programme is a 12-month supported development journey not a course you attend and forget. Facilitated workshops are just the start: you'll apply your learning at work between sessions, with an experienced CAKE facilitator alongside you throughout and finish with a nationally recognised ILM or CMI qualification.
Autumn cohorts are booking now and places are limited to keep groups small.
Prefer to talk first? So do we.
t 01603 733006
CAKE PROGRAMME MENU
LEAD ON for established managers ready for more
ILM Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management
Virtual
You've proved you can manage. Now prepare for what's next.
Lead On is a 12-month development and qualification journey for established middle and first-line managers ready to increase their impact by leading change, driving innovation, and stepping towards senior responsibility. Four virtual workshops, real workplace application in between and a cohort of managers from other businesses facing the same challenges you are.
Whats included
Four interactive virtual workshops alongside experienced managers from different organisations and sectors
The ILM Level 5 Award registration, assessment and certification all handled by CAKE as an ILM Approved Centre
An experienced CAKE facilitator throughout, with full guidance and support on assignments
CAKE Connect for programme resources, additional learning and online discussion between workshops
12 months' complimentary studying membership of The Institute of Leadership
All course materials, with flexible assessment support shaped around individual learning needs
What we will cover together
Understand your own leadership capability and honestly assess how your style impacts the people and performance around you, then build a clear plan to lead with greater effectiveness
Motivate and influence your team with purpose by exploring what drives people, how to adapt your approach and how to use communication and persuasion to get the very best from others
Identify real opportunities for innovation and change within your organisation and build the confidence to propose solutions that will genuinely improve performance
Lead change that actually happens by moving from idea to action with structured tools to manage resistance, bring people with you and measure what matters
Autumn 2026 dates:
📅 24 September 2026
📅 22 October 2026
📅 12 November 2026
📅 17 December 2026
Investment:
£2,175 + VAT per person
Everything above included
Prefer to talk first? So do we.
t 01603 733006
LEAD UP for team leaders and first-line managers
ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management
Virtual
Being good at the job got you promoted. This is where you learn to lead.
Lead Up is a 12-month development and qualification journey for people new to leading teams. Three virtual workshops tackle the things that actually fill a team leader's week including solving problems, understanding your leadership style, managing performance and everything you learn goes straight back into your day job through pre- and post-workshop activity.
Whats Included
Three interactive virtual workshops with a small cohort of team leaders from other organisations
The ILM Level 3 Award including registration, assessment and certification all handled by CAKE as an ILM Approved Centre
An experienced CAKE facilitator with you throughout, including guidance and support with assignments
CAKE Connect, our online learning platform: resources, discussions and work-based challenges between workshops
12 months' complimentary studying membership of The Institute of Leadership including professional resources, tools, events and networks
All course materials, with flexible assessment support shaped around individual learning needs
What we will cover together
Discover your leadership style and understand what great leadership and management really looks like. Get honest about your own strengths and the areas you want to grow
Tackle problems with confidence with a structured approach to diagnosing issues, gathering the right information and making decisions you can stand behind
Communicate so people actually listen with exploration into why communication breaks down and how to get your message across clearly up, down and across your organisation
Manage performance and even the difficult conversations by learning how to set clear expectations, give feedback that lands and handle underperformance before it becomes a bigger problem
Autumn 2026 dates:
📅 22 September 2026
📅 20 October 2026
📅 10 November 2026
Investment:
£1,795 + VAT per person
(everything above included)
Prefer to talk first? So do we.
t 01603 733006
LEAD BEYOND for directors and senior leaders
CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice
In - Person (Blended)
Running the business leaves no time to think about the business.
Lead Beyond is a 12-month senior leadership journey built around protected strategic thinking time. Four in-person workshops at a quality venue in Norfolk or Suffolk take you out of the office routine and into a room of peers (directors, executives and entrepreneurs) with expert facilitation, honest challenge, and a CMI Level 7 qualification to show for it.
Whats included
Four in-person workshops with fellow senior leaders — exchanging ideas, experience and good practice
The CMI Level 7 Certificate registration, assessment and verification managed by CAKE
Individual feedback, challenge and guidance from experienced CAKE facilitators
Pre- and post-workshop activity to turn strategic thinking into workplace action
CAKE Connect for resources, group discussion and engagement between workshops
12 months' CMI learner membership, including Management Direct and professional networks
All course materials included
What we will cover together
Define your role as a strategic leader by understanding the difference between strategic and operational leadership and clarifying where your energy and focus needs to be to drive your organisation forward
Create and communicate a compelling mission, vision and strategic plan for your organisation using key strategic tools to analyse your internal and external landscape with confidence
Build and lead a high performing team by exploring what great team development, performance management, employee engagement and coaching looks like at a senior level
Turn strategy into action by learning how to lead change, manage resistance, communicate your strategy effectively and develop a clear implementation plan that delivers real results
Autumn 2026 dates:
📅 21 Oct 2026
📅 9 Dec 2026
📅 10 Feb 2027
📅 14 Apr 2027
Investment:
£4,250 + VAT per person
Everything above included
Prefer to talk first? So do we.
t 01603 733006
EFFECTIVE COACHING & MENTORING for managers, HR and L&D professionals
ILM Level 5 Certificate
Virtual
Learn to coach by actually coaching.
This is a practice-led, 12-month journey: you'll learn the principles of effective coaching and mentoring, put them to work with real people, and develop your own credible coaching style with feedback and supervision along the way. Flexible start dates mean you begin when it suits you.
What included
Four workshops plus observed coaching sessions with structured feedback
Regular group supervision, one-to-one support, and tutor guidance to build your confidence and style
The ILM Level 5 Certificate in Effective Coaching and Mentoring including full assignment, assessment and portfolio support
Access to diagnostics, personal self-assessment and your own CPD plan
CAKE Connect, peer learning and co-coaching with participants from other organisations
12 months' complimentary studying membership of The Institute of Leadership
What we will cover together
Understand the real difference between coaching and mentoring, when and how to use each effectively, and how to build a case for coaching and mentoring culture within your organisation
Develop your practical coaching skills by exploring proven models and tools including GROW, and building the emotional intelligence and ethical practice that underpins great coaching conversations
Put your skills into practice through observed coaching sessions, structured feedback and one-to-one supervision that builds your confidence and develops your personal coaching style
Benchmark your organisation's coaching and mentoring readiness, prepare a strategy and create your own development plan using diagnostics and self-assessment to identify where you are and where you want to be
Start:
📅 Flexible - begin when it works for you
Investment:
£2,995 + VAT per person
Everything above included
Prefer to talk first? So do we.
t 01603 733006
EXECUTIVE COACHING & MENTORING for senior leaders and experienced coaches
ILM Level 7 Certificate
Virtual
Coaching at executive level demands more. Build the judgement it takes.
A tailored 12-month journey for senior leaders, directors and experienced coaches, developing the confidence and reflective practice to coach effectively at the top of organisations. The programme shape (including workshop timing) is agreed around your starting point and goals.
Whats included
Workshops tailored to your experience and agreed programme plan
Real executive-level coaching practice with structured feedback
Group supervision plus one-to-one tutor and supervision support
The ILM Level 7 Certificate in Executive Coaching and Mentoring — full support across all three assignments
A personal CPD plan, plus CAKE Connect for resources and reflection
12 months' complimentary studying membership of The Institute of Leadership
What we will cover together
Understand the strategic purpose of coaching and mentoring at executive level and analyse the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to practise effectively with senior leaders
Develop and refine your coaching practice through real coaching experience, group supervision sessions and one-to-one support that challenges and stretches you at the level your clients expect
Reflect deeply on your own practice, your values and beliefs as a coach and build a personal development plan that sets the direction for your ongoing professional growth
Achieve a globally recognised ILM Level 7 Certificate through three structured assignments that demonstrate your capability to coach and mentor at the most senior levels of an organisation
Start:
📅 Flexible - begin when it works for you
Investment:
£3,495 + VAT per person
Everything above included
Prefer to talk first? So do we.
t 01603 733006
DELICIOUS DELIVERY
At CAKE, we believe that developing people should be the essential ingredient at the heart of
every organisation.
Our open programmes are accredited by the best known membership and accreditation bodies
in the increasingly professionalised roles of management and leadership.
They are a cost effective way of developing people with the added benefit of peer learning,
participating in diverse groups from a wide range of businesses and sectors.
Each programme is supported by our on-line learning community CAKE Connect, enriching the
learning experience through sharing additional learning material, online discussions and work-
based challenges
LOOKING TO DEVELOP A GROUP OF PEOPLE?
For four or more participants, a bespoke programme allows us to tailor the content to your
organisation, align it to your goals and often deliver this in a more cost-effective way.
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