CIPD Foundation Certificate/Diploma in Human Resources

If you’re just starting out in your HR career or have one to two years’ experience as an HR Administrator or Officer, then this programme is right for you.

The aim of the programme is to provide you with a thorough grounding on the basics of HR and an understanding of HR principals.

With this programme you can choose to use your current or past employer as the basis for your study, or if you’re completely new to HR you can choose our unique immersive case study environment (DPG are the only CIPD Centre that offers this), so you get to practice risk free in a virtual online company.

There are no entry requirements for this programme, and you can join straight from college. It’s also suitable for you if you’ve not been in a learning environment for a while, because you get all the support you need along the way to guarantee you’re successful.

Your Learning Options:

Blended (Workshops and online)

Choose a blend of online modules, which you access at your leisure, combined with 5 interactive full day workshops. You can complete the certificate in as little as 6 months and the diploma in as little as 8.

Competency Based

If you’re already working in an HR role and have a full understanding and experience in HR, but do not hold a formal HR qualification, the competency based route could suit you. On this route you have an initial assessment and then a personalised study programme is created for you, so you can achieve your CIPD qualification and get CIPD Associate membership through your usual work activities. This route is designed to be completed in your own time and at your own pace, without you having to attend any workshops. Please ask one of our programme advisors about this route if you would like to find out more.

The programme covers all the typical aspects of an HR practitioner role, each of which is a specific CIPD unit. These include:

• Developing yourself as an effective HR practitioner – This unit helps you develop a sound understanding of the knowledge, skills and behaviour required of a professional practitioner, whether your role is generalist or specialist in nature.
• Resourcing talent – This unit provides you with an introduction to the resourcing and talent planning process.
• Recording, analysing and using HR information – You’ll develop an understanding of the important contribution that accurate data makes to the human resources function.
• Understanding the role of HR in organisations – This is an introduction to the role of human resource operations within an organisation and the wider environmental context.
• Supporting good practice in managing employment relations – This unit aims to introduce a number of aspects of managing employee relations and to provide an introduction to employment law within the context of employee relations.
• Supporting good practice in performance and reward management – This unit provides an introduction to the purpose and processes of performance and reward management and the role of human resources in promoting and supporting good practice.
• Supporting change (Diploma only) – Here you’ll explore why organisations need to change and the role of HR within this.
• Supporting individual learning through coaching and mentoring (Diploma only) – This unit enables you to develop the knowledge and skills required to provide coaching and mentoring support.

Once you’ve passed all your CIPD units and received your certificate, you are able to use the letters Assoc CIPD after your name, giving you professional recognition from the CIPD, which is valued by employers globally.

If you want to further your knowledge of HR or are looking to progress your career and improve your earning potential, your next step is to progress to the Level 5 CIPD Human Resource Management Intermediate Certificate/Diploma qualification. DPG offer this as both a blended programme, with workshops and online lessons, or as a 100% online programme which you can complete in as little as 4 months. The Level 5 programme can be started immediately after you’ve finished your Level 3 programme and explores HR at a deeper level, so you are ready to work at an HR Manager, HR Business Partner or senior HR Specialist level.

You also get a £250 loyalty discount when you study another programme with us.

If you are being funded by your employer, full payment of the programme is needed before your first workshop. Our programme advisors can help you build a business case for your employer outlining the benefits of studying a CIPD qualification. Call us on 0330 660 0220 to find out more.

If you are a self-funder, there are a variety of flexible payment plans, with low deposits and the option of instalments over 6 to 48 months. For a personalised payment plan, please call one of our programme advisors who can talk you through all your options.