CIPD 101: A Complete Guide to CIPD HR and L&D Qualifications (and Which One to Choose)

If you’re interested in pursuing a career in the human resources or learning and development field, you’ll probably have heard of CIPD qualifications.

These are one of the most common qualifications that employers in the sector look for when it comes to hiring the right candidates for their roles.

But which one should you choose? And how should you go about choosing the qualification that you want to study? We carried out some intensive research and came up with this guide to CIPD HR and L&D qualifications!

What is the CIPD?

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (or CIPD for short) is a professional membership association for employers working in the human resources and people development sector. It aims to set professional quality standards for the industry by carrying out independent research and by offering professional qualifications.

Globally recognised, with centres in the UK, Ireland, Asia and the Middle East, the organisation has over 150,000 members and it’s also the only professional HR body in the world that can award Chartered status to HR and L&D professionals.

As a result, its qualifications are widely respected by employers across the globe, and are often a requirement for positions in many organisations.

And what are CIPD qualifications?

So, what do the qualifications that the CIPD offer actually look like? And what type of qualifications are suited to particular roles?

Luckily, they’re structured in a pretty simple way.  There are three types of CIPD qualification that the body offers for human resources and learning and development professionals:

• Level 3 Foundation Certificate
• Level 5 Associate Diploma
• Level 7 Advanced Diploma

Level 3 Foundation Certificate

This is an entry level qualification that’s aimed at people who are taking the first steps towards a career in the HR and L&D field. It’s a basic qualification that’s designed to give you a decent grounding in a subject that you can then use to build your career on. Focused on teaching you practical skills which you can use at work whilst you’re studying, the Level 3 Foundation Certificate is a good way to get your foot in the people profession and a good springboard for future HR opportunities.

Level 5 Associate Diploma

The Level 5 Associate Diploma takes your learning to the next level. An intermediate qualification, it’s aimed at HR and L&D professionals who have some relevant work experience and prior knowledge of the sector, and are looking to progress to more senior positions, like managers, analysts and directors.

Level 7 Advanced Diploma

Aimed at senior HR and L&D professionals, like heads of department and directors, this type of qualification is designed to enhance your strategy and management skills, improving your ability to chart a course for your business in a competitive world.

What do you learn with CIPD qualifications?

Different learning providers will offer different CIPD qualifications, depending on their own specialisms and expertise. At ICS Learn, we offer:

CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice

CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management

CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Strategic People Management

CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in Organisational Learning and Development

CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Strategic Learning and Development

Here’s what you can expect to learn by studying each qualification:

Human Resources CIPD Qualifications

CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice

This is an entry level course that’s designed to give you the basic knowledge that you’ll need to pursue a long and successful career in the HR and L&D sectors.

It’s made up of four topics that form one ‘core’ module.

• Essentials of People Practice
• Core Behaviours for People Professionals
• Business, Culture and Change in Context
• Principles of Analytics

CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management

This qualification is at an intermediate level. It covers more complex issues than the Level 3 Foundation Certificate and builds on the knowledge that you developed during the Level 3 qualification, looking at planning, analytical and problem-solving skills in the context of HR in more detail.

The CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma is made up of two aspects: six compulsory units that you’ll have to study and one elective module that you’ll choose to study, based on your own interests. 

Core modules:

• Professionals Behaviours and Valuing People
• Organisational Performance and Culture in Practice
• Evidence-Based Practice
• Employment Relationship Management
• Talent Management and Workforce Planning
• Reward for Performance and Contribution

Elective modules (choose one):

• Specialist Employment Law
• Diversity and Inclusion
• People Management in an International Context
• Leadership and Management Development
• Wellbeing at Work

CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Strategic People Management

The Advanced Diploma in Strategic People Management is the most senior CIPD qualification that you’ll be able to take. It’s focused on developing your critical analysis, problem-solving and self-reflection skills so that you can create and implement HR strategy at an organisation.

The CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Strategic People Management is made up of seven core modules. You’ll then choose one elective module to study as well:

Core modules:

• Work and Working Lives in a Changing Business Environment
• People Management and Development Strategies for Performance
• Personal Effectiveness, Ethics and Business Acumen
• Business Research in People Practice
• Resourcing and Talent Management to Sustain Success
• Strategic Reward Management
• Strategic Employment Relations

Elective modules (choose one):

• Advanced Employment Law in Practice
• Learning and Development Practice
• Managing People in an International Context
• Technology-Enhanced Learning
• Advanced Diversity and Inclusion

Learning and Development CIPD qualifications

CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice

Eagle-eyed readers will probably spot that this learning and development qualification is the same as the human resources qualification.

That’s because, in their recent revamp of qualifications, the CIPD decided to combine the two courses, given that the content of the courses was very similar and applied to both specialisms.

Studying the Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice will give you an excellent grounding in the essential skills and knowledge of human resources and learning and development. Check out the unit above for a thorough look at what you’ll learn. 

CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in Organisational Learning and Development

The CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma develops your ability to measure organisation performance and culture, as well as your ability to plan and implement different types of learning across your organisation.

The qualification has six core modules and one elective module that you’ll pick from a list of possible options, based on your own interests.

Core modules:

• Professionals Behaviours and Valuing People
• Organisational Performance and Culture in Practice
• Evidence-Based Practice
• Support Self-Directed and Social Learning
• Learning and Development Design to Create Value
• Facilitate Personalised and Performance-Focused Learning

Elective modules (choose one):

• Leadership and Management Development
• Wellbeing at Work
• Diversity and Inclusion
• People Management in an International Context
• Specialist Employment Law

CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Strategic Learning and Development

The CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Strategic Learning and Development is designed to give you the skills and expertise to design and implement large scale L&D strategies at your organisation. You’ll also develop leadership and management skills that will help you guide learning and development teams successfully.

The CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma is made up of seven core modules and one module that you’ll choose from a list of four:

Core modules:

• Work and Working Lives in a Changing Business Environment
• People Management and Development Strategies for Performance
• Personal Effectiveness, Ethics and Business Acumen
• Business Research in People Practice
• Organisational Design and Development
• Leadership and Management Development in Context
• Designing Learning to Improve Performance

Elective modules (choose one):

• Technology-Enhanced Learning
• Advanced Diversity and Inclusion
• Advanced Employment Law in Practice
• Managing People in an International Context

How to choose the right qualification

1.    Decide how you would like to study

You can study a CIPD qualification in a range of different formats. In the pre-internet days, you were pretty limited in your study options if you wanted to take a professional qualification – you could either do it by snail-mail, or by going to a physical class in a school or college. Nowadays, thanks to the digital revolution, it’s easier to take a CIPD qualification. Here are the three main ways that people study the qualification:

Online

Online learning is pretty much what it sounds like: learning that is delivered online, using the internet. In an online course, you’ll study in your own time and attend a weekly virtual class, led by a tutor, with other students joining virtually. You can study for this course wherever and whenever you like too – as long as you have an internet connection.

Pros

• You can study whenever, and whenever you want, allowing you to balance work, family and other commitments
• It can be cheaper than other forms of study
• You don’t have to spend money on commuting to a physical venue

Cons

• You need to be relatively motivated to succeed
• Online study can be a lonely experience sometimes
• You need a stable internet connection

Physical

When you’re studying in a physical format, you’ll attend a classroom once a week or once a fortnight where you’ll take part in a face-to-face class led by a tutor. This class will be attended by other students too.

Physical classes usually take place in an educational venue like a college, school or university, but they can often take place in other community venues, like libraries or a community centre.

Pros

• Physical courses are great if you learn best with others
• They can help you stay motivated
• You don’t have to spend money on commuting to a physical venue

Cons

• They can often be more expensive than distance-based study
• Online study can be a lonely experience sometimes
• You’ll have travel costs to think about

A blend of the two

This type of learning option can be a bit harder to find but it can be a good compromise between the two learning styles, giving you the best of both worlds. Blended learning will see you split your course between physical classroom study and online study at home or work.

Pros

• You get the best of both types of study
• They can help you stay motivated
• You don’t have to spend money on commuting to a physical venue

Cons

• You still need to have a good degree of motivation to succeed
• You’ll have travel costs to think about
• It might be more expensive than other study formats

1.    Decide the level that you would like to study

The CIPD have simplified their HR and L&D courses, making progression a lot easier to understand. Now, there are just three levels to choose from, that each correspond to their difficulty.

• Level 3: Entry-level, equivalent to A Level study
• Level 5: Intermediate-level, equivalent to a foundation degree
• Level 7: Advanced-level, equivalent to master degree study

Have a think about which difficulty level best reflects your needs in a qualification.

2.    Decide if you’re motivated by CIPD membership

One of the advantages of having a CIPD qualification is the fact that you automatically gain membership of the body once you’ve successfully completed a qualification. For a lot of people, this is one of the deciding factors that motivates their study. The type of membership that you’ll gain will depend on the type of qualification you’ve completed.

It’s relatively easy to work out though: membership is basically the same as the type of qualification you’ve completed. So, if you’ve just completed a Foundation Certificate, you’ll qualify for Foundation membership. Likewise, if you’ve completed an Associate Diploma, you’ll qualify for Associate membership.

When you complete an Advanced Diploma, you’ll gain Associate membership but qualify for prestigious Chartered Membership if you fulfill a few other requirements.

You can help to find the right qualification for your needs by thinking about whether you’re motivated by CIPD membership.

3.    Consider your current knowledge and skills gaps...

A useful way to find the qualification that’s best for you is to consider areas in your skills and knowledge where it feels like you have gaps.

Start by thinking about identifying the parts of the subject that you know like the back of your hand, then think about the parts that you struggle with or don’t know much about just yet.

 Make a list of these thoughts and compare them to the information that you’ll cover in specific courses (note: you can generally find this in the ‘module’ or ‘course content’ information that learning providers offer). Doing this can help you work out where you currently are in terms of professional knowledge and experience — and where you need to get to.

4.    .. and tie this into your overall career plans!

Ask yourself that ancient, time-honoured question when it comes to professional development – where do you see yourself in 2 years, 5 years and 10 years! What do you want to achieve in your career, and where do you see yourself progressing with it? Once you’ve worked out where you want to get to, you can work a path backwards, looking at the steps that you’ll need to take to get that place.

Try and identify key positions and research the entry requirements that you might need to qualify for that position. You can then build up a route map to your dream career and work out the specific qualifications that you’ll need.

We hope you’ve found this guide useful and that you feel more empowered when it comes to choosing the right CIPD qualification.

Advance your career from home with our flexible professional qualifications. Get your free CIPD course today and start your journey to a new career.