ITIL^® Version 5 Certification and Qualification Scheme at a Glance

Building on the Foundation, ITIL Version 5 opens up three clearly defined learning paths, each leading to an ITIL Version 5 designation. These learning paths are designed to address different roles, responsibilities, and career goals, while at the same time fitting into a common overall picture.

The learning paths enable participants to deepen their knowledge of ITIL in a targeted manner in line with their current role or future development steps. At the same time, the qualification scheme remains flexible enough to allow individuals to set their own priorities and adapt their learning paths to their personal goals.

ITIL Version 5 Foundation is the mandatory entry point into the ITIL Version 5 qualification scheme and provides a common basis for all advanced modules and designations. In the Foundation course, participants learn the basic concepts, terms, and models of ITIL Version 5 and develop a holistic understanding of modern digital product and service management.

The focus is on how value is created for customers, users, and organizations, and how digital products and services are managed throughout their entire lifecycle. The Foundation provides an integrated understanding of the digital product and service lifecycle, the ITIL value system, guiding principles, governance structures, and clearly defined role models. ITIL is deliberately not understood as a rigid set of rules, but as a practical framework for decision-making, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

For participants who already have ITIL 4 Foundation certification, there is the alternative option of ITIL Version 5 Foundation Bridge. This one-day training course focuses specifically on the new features of ITIL Version 5, organizes existing knowledge, and concludes with a shortened exam. The Bridge enables an efficient transition to ITIL Version 5 without having to complete the entire Foundation course again.

Both ITIL Version 5 Foundation and ITIL Version 5 Foundation Bridge are prerequisites for all further ITIL Version 5 qualifications and represent the stable foundation on which all specializations and development steps in the ITIL Version 5 model are based.

The ITIL Version 5 Foundation Bridge is a compact transition training course for anyone who already has ITIL 4 Foundation certification and wants to switch to ITIL Version 5. It provides an efficient introduction to the new version without having to complete the full two-day ITIL Version 5 Foundation course again.

The Foundation Bridge course focuses on the key innovations in ITIL Version 5. Participants learn how the model has evolved from ITIL 4 and how existing knowledge can be meaningfully integrated into the new structure. This includes, in particular, the unified Digital Product & Service Lifecycle, the enhanced ITIL Value System, a stronger focus on customer and employee experience, and more clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and outcomes.

The bridge deliberately focuses on what is relevant for those switching over: differences, enhancements, and new focal points of ITIL Version 5. Familiar concepts are not repeated, but rather developed further and placed in the new overall context. This creates a consistent understanding of ITIL Version 5 as an integrated management approach for digital products and services.

The ITIL Version 5 Foundation Bridge course lasts one day and concludes with an abbreviated official certification exam. Upon successful completion, participants will have the ITIL Version 5 Foundation qualification and thus meet the prerequisite for all advanced ITIL Version 5 training courses and designations.

The Foundation Bridge is therefore the fastest and most targeted way for ITIL 4 Foundation Certified professionals to transition to ITIL Version 5 and continue their qualification in a future-proof manner.

The ITIL Version 5 Transition, also known as Bridge training, is a targeted transition training course for individuals who already have ITIL certification from previous versions and want to switch to ITIL Version 5. It enables the transition without having to retake all modules and ensures structured and consistent further development of existing knowledge.

The aim of the transition is to bring existing ITIL knowledge up to date with ITIL Version 5 and to create a uniform understanding of the new concepts, structures, and content priorities. The focus is not on repeating the basics, but on classifying, updating, and linking existing knowledge with the new overall model of ITIL Version 5.

The ITIL Version 5 Transition is specifically aimed at experienced ITIL professionals. It is relevant for individuals with ITIL v3 Expert or ITIL 4 Managing Professional qualifications who wish to achieve ITIL Version 5 Managing Professional status through the transition. ITIL 4 Masters also complete the transition to achieve ITIL Version 5 Master status.

For holders of the ITIL 4 Practice Manager or ITIL 4 Strategic Leader designation, the ITIL Transformation module is mandatory in order to obtain the corresponding ITIL Version 5 designation. Bridge training (transition) is not required in these cases, as the content of the practice modules in ITIL Version 5 has not changed.

The ITIL Transformation module ensures that even experienced professionals can consistently understand and effectively apply the comprehensive innovations of ITIL Version 5—particularly with regard to governance, control, role understanding, and sustainable change.

The ITIL Transformation module is a central element of the entire ITIL Version 5 qualification scheme. It forms the connecting link between operational implementation, holistic control, and strategic management. In this module, participants learn how to systematically plan, implement, and permanently embed changes in organizations.

ITIL Transformation is mandatory for all three ITIL Version 5 designations—Practice Manager, Managing Professional, and Strategic Leader—but only needs to be successfully completed once. The qualification earned is fully credited across all learning paths, creating a consistent and efficient development pathway.

What about ITIL 4 Practice Manager or Strategic Leader?

Those who already hold the ITIL 4 Practice Manager designation and wish to obtain the ITIL Version 5 Practice Manager designation must successfully complete the ITIL Transformation module. The same applies to the ITIL Strategic Leader: Here, too, ITIL Transformation is a mandatory prerequisite for transitioning to the ITIL Version 5 designation.

The module supports organizations and managers in not only initiating improvements, but also making them sustainable and effective—across all levels, from operational practice to strategic corporate management.

The ITIL Version 5 Practice Manager learning path is aimed at individuals who apply ITIL in an operational environment and are responsible for ensuring that processes function properly, services are stable, and continuous improvement takes place. The focus is on the concrete implementation of ITIL practices in day-to-day business and the ability to make organizations capable of acting, reliable, and efficient.

Participants in this learning path deepen their understanding of how to structure operational work in a meaningful way, how to define clear roles and responsibilities, and how to achieve successful collaboration across teams. The ITIL Practice Manager enables participants to not only understand ITIL, but also to use it specifically to stabilize, optimize, and further develop services and processes.

This learning path is particularly suitable for specialists, team leaders, and operational managers who want to use ITIL as a practical tool in their everyday work.

The ITIL Version 5 Managing Professional learning path is aimed at specialists and managers who want to holistically manage and develop digital products and services. The focus is on the ability to actively shape value creation throughout the entire life cycle and to combine operational excellence with product thinking, experience management, and change capability.

Participants in this learning path develop a deep understanding of how products and services are conceived and managed together, how customer and employee experiences can be specifically improved, and how organizations respond to change without losing their stability. ITIL Managing Professional strengthens the ability to understand complex interrelationships and make informed decisions based on clear models and principles.

This learning path is particularly suitable for roles with cross-functional responsibilities, such as in product management, service responsibility, organizational development, or leadership.

The ITIL Version 5 Strategic Leader learning path is aimed at managers and decision-makers who want to use ITIL at a strategic level. The focus here is not on operational implementation, but on how digital strategy, governance, leadership, and transformation are linked.

Participants learn how ITIL can be used as a framework for investment decisions, organizational design, and long-term development. The ITIL Strategic Leader enables them to understand and manage digital transformation not as a single project, but as a continuous, value-oriented development process.

This learning path is particularly relevant for managers who are responsible for the direction, framework conditions, and sustainable development of digital organizations.

The ITIL Master qualification represents the highest level in the ITIL Version 5 qualification system. It is achieved when all three designations—ITIL Practice Manager, ITIL Managing Professional, and ITIL Strategic Leader—have been successfully completed.

ITIL Master stands for in-depth technical expertise, broad practical experience, and the ability to apply ITIL flexibly, contextually, and effectively in complex real-world organizational environments. This qualification distinguishes professionals who not only master ITIL, but can actively use it to shape and develop digital organizations.

In addition to the core framework, ITIL AI Governance is an extension module that addresses the responsible use of artificial intelligence, automation, and data-driven technologies. This module takes into account the AI-native approach of ITIL Version 5 and supports organizations in combining technological innovation with governance, transparency, and responsibility.

The ITIL Version 5 qualification scheme offers a clear, comprehensible, and long-term development path. It combines operational practice with a strategic perspective, enables individual focus areas to be set, and creates an internationally recognized basis for the successful design of digital products and services.

ITIL Version 5 Foundation is the first step—and the beginning of a structured path that ranges from the basics of modern service and product management to the highest level of qualification.