When you choose an apprenticeship, you are looking for a launchpad for your career. At Professional Academy, we believe that launchpad should take you as high as possible — which is why we have built something other providers have not.
On our Level 3 and Level 6 Marketing Apprenticeships, we do not just teach you the apprenticeship standards. We integrate the additional modules required to gain a CIM Professional Qualification at the same time. The result is a Dual-Award: you finish your apprenticeship and walk away with your CIM letters simultaneously.
What is a Dual-Award?
A Dual-Award means that by the time you complete your apprenticeship with Professional Academy, you will have achieved two separate, nationally recognised qualifications:
- Your apprenticeship standard — assessed through end-point assessment and recognised by your employer and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).
- Your CIM professional qualification — awarded by the Chartered Institute of Marketing and recognised globally as the benchmark of marketing excellence.
Most apprenticeship providers deliver the standard alone. Professional Academy delivers both — in the same timeframe, at no additional study burden to the learner.
How the Dual-Award Works
The Dual-Award is possible because of how CIM structures its exemptions. Apprenticeship completers are automatically exempt from certain CIM modules because the apprenticeship standard already covers that content. Professional Academy takes this a step further by delivering the remaining CIM modules as part of your apprenticeship journey — meaning you do not need to come back and complete them later.
Here is how it works at each level:
Level 3: The Multi-Channel Fast-Track
On our Level 3 Multi-Channel Marketer Apprenticeship, you are automatically exempt from the Marketing Essentials module of the CIM Foundation Certificate in Professional and Digital Marketing.
To ensure you walk away with the full CIM Foundation Certificate in Professional and Digital Marketing, we deliver the following modules as part of your core apprenticeship journey:
- Content and Channels
- Marketing Insights
By the time you pass your end-point assessment, you will have also completed the requirements for your CIM Foundation Certificate — no additional study required after the programme.
Level 6: The Manager's Edge
For those on our Level 6 Marketing Manager Apprenticeship, we have mapped the full curriculum to give you a significant head start towards the CIM Diploma in Professional and Digital Marketing.
You will be automatically exempt from the Strategy and Planning module, and we deliver the following as part of your core programme:
- Commercial Intelligence
- Customer Journey Optimisation
This leaves you with just one specialist elective to complete from the full CIM Diploma. You can choose a module that fits your specific career path and interests, including:
- AI Marketing
- Social Media Management
- Content Strategy
- SEO and Paid Search Management
- Brand Proposition
- Ecommerce
The ability to choose your elective means your Diploma is not just a generic qualification — it is tailored to the direction you want your marketing career to go.
Why the Dual-Award Matters for Your Career
The apprenticeship standard alone demonstrates that you have met the competency requirements set by industry and government. That is valuable. But the CIM qualification adds something the standard alone cannot — global professional recognition.
Here is what the Dual-Award means in practice:
- Two qualifications, one programme: You achieve both in the same timeframe, without extending your study period or increasing your workload significantly.
- Immediate CV impact: CIM letters after your name signal professional credibility to employers from day one of your job search.
- A pathway to Chartered Marketer: CIM qualifications are the recognised route to Chartered Marketer status — the gold standard of professional recognition in marketing.
- Employer confidence: Organisations that invest in apprenticeships want to see a return. A Dual-Award demonstrates that their investment produced a fully qualified, job-ready professional.
- No lost exemptions: Because the CIM modules are delivered during the apprenticeship, you never risk losing your exemption entitlement through the five-year expiry window.
Why Choose the Professional Academy Route
Not every apprenticeship provider offers a Dual-Award pathway. Many deliver the apprenticeship standard alone and leave learners to pursue their CIM qualification independently afterwards — often at additional cost, with lost momentum, and with the risk that the five-year exemption window has already closed.
At Professional Academy, we have deliberately designed our apprenticeship programmes to maximise the return on investment for both the learner and the employer. By embedding CIM module delivery into the apprenticeship itself, we ensure that every learner who completes the programme walks away with both the practical experience and the professional qualification their career deserves.
With over 27 years of experience delivering CIM qualifications and a strong track record across marketing, sales, and management, we are uniquely placed to deliver this integrated approach.
Please note: whilst we provide the mapped learning, additional CIM membership and exam fees will apply.
How Professional Academy Supports Your Journey
Whether you are an employer looking to maximise the value of your apprenticeship levy, or an individual considering your options, our apprenticeship team can walk you through exactly how the Dual-Award works and what it means for your specific situation.
Speak to our Apprenticeship team today to find out how we help you achieve more in the same amount of time.
