CertMAP covers the core aspects of a caseworker’s role:

• Working with clients, interviews, budgeting skills and income maximisation
• Emergency, priority and non-priority debts with legislation, rules and codes of practice
• Insolvency and debt relief options including how to contest liability
• County, High and Magistrate Court processes and types of enforcement
• Cases and caseload management
• Office procedures including confidentiality, data protection and health & safety considerations
• Influencing and campaigning

• CertMAP is studied over 12 weeks with 150 hours of content and we recommend 12.5 hours per week.
• You study through Staffordshire University’s online learning system. Learning materials and further reading are available to download. Discussion forums enable you to share ideas with other students.
• There are weekly ‘milestone tests’ which are mix of quizzes, case studies and discussion board tasks. These do not count towards your mark but help to keep you engaged
• The final exam is also held online and has a pass mark of 70%

The entry requirements are:

• 1 year current full-time experience in a money advice role (or part-time equivalent) OR
• 2 years previous full-time experience in money advice (or part-time equivalent) OR
• Any other relevant experience that we will consider on a case by case basis

To study CertMAP, you MUST be a member of the IMA with membership fees paid up to date. Find out more about membership and benefits here.

CertMAP, is accredited by the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) to caseworker/specialist level. Recognition from MaPS means that CertMAP plays a key role in assuring quality of advice across the sector. Read more about MaPS accreditation here.

Many organisations state CertMAP is an essential or desirable qualification in job recruitment.

Unlike Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) accreditation, which accredits organisations, IMA accreditation is about the individual. We accredit members who pass CertMAP and allow them to use MIMA (Cert) after their name. IMA accreditation is evidence that the individual is a competent adviser and desirable to employers, funders and strategic partners.

You maintain IMA accreditation by complying with the IMA Continuing Professional Development (CPD) scheme.

Due to our strategic partnership with Staffordshire University, we are able to offer this 15 Credit Higher Education certificate at a significantly lower cost than equivalent HE qualifications.

The full cost of the course is currently £520 per student.

The Thames Water Trust Fund kindly provides bursary support.  Currently, if you are working in the Thames Water region, you are eligible to apply for a bursary of £360, which means you will only have to contribute £160 towards the cost of studying CertMAP. This is subject to change with any price increase for the course.

The above bursaries are administered by the IMA.  Please do not approach the trust funds directly.

The IMA has also allocated a small amount of its own funds to support advisers in exceptional circumstances who are unable to afford the full cost of study. This funding will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and priority will be given to those in greatest need. This support is for £320, meaning those receiving it pay only £200. To find out more, please email us at qualifications@i-m-a.org.uk.

Details of the next cohort can be found on the how to apply page.

See here to apply.