HR Classes

Kickstart your HR career with the best beginner courses, offering foundational knowledge and practical skills for success in the field. Navigate the array of options for online certifications and real-world seminars to enhance your HR expertise.

By Brad Nakase, Attorney

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Table of Contents
1. What are the best HR courses for beginners?
2. To sum up

What are the best HR courses for beginners?

You can get a head start on your HR career by taking beginner HR courses and mastering the fundamentals. However, finding the correct credential or course might be overwhelming, given the abundance of options available. Many choices are available, including real-world seminars, online certifications, and free HR courses.

To assist you in getting started, we’ve put together a list of 9 HR courses for newbies that we believe are worthwhile.

  1. Academy to Innovate HR (AIHR)

AIHR

Certification is available in several HR domains, from the Academy to Innovate HR or AIHR, and includes data analytics, digital skills, and sourcing and recruitment. HR workers with varying degrees of expertise, including those embarking on their HR careers, can benefit significantly from these courses.

Thanks to the bite-sized, flexible structure of all the courses that HR practitioners design for HR practitioners, you may learn anywhere, at any time.

You can also choose Full Academy Access, which grants you unrestricted admission to all their courses—past and present. For a period of twelve months, you have access to over forty courses and thirteen credential programs. This approach also saves you a ton of money.

HRCI and SHRM have worldwide accreditations for all AIHR courses. You can swap stories and talk about best practices in the worldwide practitioners’ network of AIHR, which is accessible to you as a student. Additionally, you can get helpful HR materials, tips, and templates.

  1. HR Administration for Beginners 

Udemy 

Udemy’s Administrative HR for Beginners course provides an overview of human resources responsibilities and roles. This online HR program is ideal for newcomers hoping to better understand HR, small business owners seeking a position in HR, or administrative professionals whose responsibilities include HR.

With guidance on advancing your HR duties, the course offers a broad overview of the HR department.

Subjects covered include:

  • Examining HR’s involvement in strategy and business success, as well as compliance and administration
  • Finding out how to conduct an audit
  • Learning about the hiring process, from job research to creating job postings and interview questions
  • Finding out about a more effective performance management procedure

Anyone interested in human resources, management, or related industries should take the course. No prior prerequisites or preparation are required.

  1. Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR)

HRCI Human Resources course for beginners

It’s difficult to find a curriculum that more closely matches the requirements for HR certification for beginners than this one. It is the first human resources certification created specifically for people starting out in their HR careers. The HR Certification Institute (HRCI) wants to help you advance your career more quickly and get the self-assurance necessary to enter the HR field with this certification.

Individuals who only recently started out in HR can demonstrate their grasp of fundamental HR concepts by earning the aPHR certification. Subjects covered include:

  • Risk management and compliance
  • Talent acquisition
  • Employee relations
  • Pay and benefits
  • Education and growth

To qualify for the aPHR, you need to hold a high school diploma or its worldwide equivalent. Prior human resources experience is not necessary.

The Associate Professional in Human Resources – International (aPHRi) certification is another HRCI credential that might be instructive for aspiring HR specialists. While this curriculum is comparable to the aPHR, it grants you an HR credential that may be used anywhere.

  1. SHRM-CP, or Certified Professional

Beginner’s SHRM HR course

Beyond theory, this course provides a Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) curriculum that allows you to demonstrate what you know and how to use it in the workplace. This HR certification course is a great way for newcomers to advance their HR careers and learn more about the industry.

Students can apply for this certification regardless of where they work if they carry out HR-related tasks as part of their position. Nonetheless, SHRM advises obtaining a degree from an academically aligned program or possessing a fundamental working understanding of HR principles and practices.

Depending on your preferred learning method, you can select instructor-led and adaptable self-study choices to prepare for the test.

  1. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

CIPD HR beginner course

The CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice will give you a strong grounding in all areas of human resources and gain the confidence and skills you need to advance your career, regardless of how long you’ve been in HR or what level of support role you currently hold.

The curriculum addresses four main topics:

  • Contextualizing culture, business, and change
  • Fundamentals of analytics
  • Essential behaviors for individuals in the human resources field
  • Fundamentals of human behavior

The following people would benefit from this course:

  • Want to work in HR or advance into a new human resources position?
  • Operating as a support staff member, such as an HR officer or administrator
  • An HR or people management-trained manager who is not in HR

This fully online HR course leads to CIPD Associate Membership.

  1. Compliance Prime

Compliance Prime HR training programs for beginners 

Compliance Prime offers webinars as a means of instruction. They provide continuing education classes that are ideal for new human resources professionals to start their learning path, covering the most recent HR practices, laws, and regulations. Compliance Prime HR webinars can be followed to gain SHRM and HRCI credits.

Some upcoming 2024 lessons include:

  • Transform HR: From Complaint Central to Strategic Powerhouse
  • New Hire Onboarding
  • Payroll Tax Changes for 2024

See which webinar is best for you by visiting the Compliance Prime website and reviewing their calendar.

  1. The Home Study Center at Oxford University

HSC HR training for beginners 

Oxford Home Study Center offers registration in HR classes covering fundamentals of HR throughout the year, including:

  • Staffing
  • Basics of HR management
  • Development and training
  • Interviewing

For those new to HR, OHSC provides free and paid training options, making it an excellent resource for learning. Although the learning center is in England, the courses are available online.

  1. CHRMP Foundation/Associate

CHRMP

The CHRMP foundation/associate course is a thorough course that provides a foundation for individuals who want to work in HR. It was created as an HR certification for beginners.

This six-module HR course covers the fundamentals, such as:

  • HR Roles
  • Talent Spotting
  • Pay and Benefits Scheduling
  • Workplace Evaluation
  • Education and Growth
  • Workplace Involvement

Once the modules are finished, you will take the exam to receive your certification. CHRMP provides its recent graduates with a year of support following the training. This is a simple option for anyone searching for beginner HR courses because of its excellent support network.

  1. HR Fundamentals

FutureLearn 

The online HR Fundamentals course is a helpful resource for those new to the sector as an introduction to HR. You will study the following five HR pillars in this self-paced online course:

  • HR definition
  • HR procedure
  • Strategy and People
  • Performance, Participation, and Compensation
  • Hiring

FutureLearn has developed this course in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development as an introduction to HR fundamentals. For individuals looking to change careers, this HR course is a good choice because it allows you to progress at your own pace.

To sum up

HR courses for beginners are an excellent place to start if you want to enter the field. They provide a solid foundation in HR knowledge and skills. They will give you the fundamental knowledge and abilities to launch a fulfilling career in the rapidly developing HR sector. Seek courses that incorporate real-world scenarios, interactive exercises, and case studies, among other practical elements. This will allow you to put what you’ve learned into practice and obtain practical HR experience.

Exploring books for HR can also offer insightful perspectives and deepen your understanding of the field.

You may successfully enter the world of HR with the confidence and skills that come from theoretical understanding and practical application.

Have a quick question? We answered nearly 2000 FAQs.

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