Programme Overview
Our Certificate in HR Operations is a 9 month programme focused on building your practical, tactical HR skills and experience.
Over the course you can attend facilitated workshops, complete online learning modules with on the job assignments and discuss your learnings with your our HR team.
The programme also involves assessing your achievement level from the start to the finish.
Who should attend?
You’ll benefit most from the Certificate in HR Operations if you are mainly Level 1 on the HR experience map (just download the brochure to access this). You may be:
- Working as an HR Administrator, Coordinator or HR Advisor with 2 + years experience.
- Coming from a more specialised area (e.g. L&D) but now moving into generalist HR.
- In an Office Manager/PA role but with HR responsibilities.
What will you finish with?
The Certificate in HR Operations is different from tertiary study as you need to be working in a role where you can apply what you’re learning, rather than covering theory. You’ll work through case studies and run simulations so that you get as much experience as you can during the course, before you have to do it in real life. Once you’ve completed your final assessment you will be awarded your certificate.
Elephant Certificates are now recognised globally, in New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific Islands, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, the US and United Kingdom.
Core Modules
These are compulsory to complete. Where you have significant training or experience in one of the core modules, you can choose an optional module instead.
Advanced Employment Law
This module covers the more complex parts of different pieces of employment legislation. You’ll learn to answer questions about employment, discrimination, privacy and different types of holidays, so you can give correct HR advice.
Clever Communications Planning
It’s essential in HR that you understand different comms styles, and how to adapt and engage managers and employees with your HR communications. In this module learn tools to plan and implement effectively to really get your message across.
Dealing with Poor Performance
Helping managers when their team isn’t performing can be challenging. This module takes you through the factors to consider, the steps to take, ways to support your business and real case studies to analyse of how to deal with challenges.
Warnings and Dismissals
In this module we focus on employment law in your country around warnings and dismissals, how to make sure your company complies and how to make an objective decision from an HR, company and culture point of view.
Performance Reviews & PDP’s
As an HR Advisor you might advise managers on your performance review process. In this module you’ll learn what makes review systems and development planning effective, and how you can advise on your processes.
Remuneration and Reward
HR Advisors often need to help with salary reviews and bonus processes. This module covers different remuneration models, bonuses schemes, benefits packages and rewards, including HR challenges and how to overcome them.
Inspired Interviewing
In many HR Advisory roles, you may be required to do first interviews with candidates or to be part of an interview panel. Learn interviewing psychology, how to interview effectively and overcome interviewing pitfalls.
Optional Modules
One optional modules must be chosen from the modules below. Where you have significant training or experience in a core module area, you can swop this out for an optional module instead. The optional modules are:
Offering Employment
In this module you cover the legislative requirements around employment agreements/contracts in your country. You might not be preparing the clauses, but you should know what to look out for!
Writing HR policies
Making your policies more effective may not be exciting, but is important. This module takes you through writing policies for different styles and companies, using them to address issues and build culture and fish-hooks that can catch you out!
Wonderful Wellness
Learn how to identify the key drivers for your wellness programme, develop and deliver a wellness strategy and measure the results and create engagement for the programme
Talent Management & Succession
You may be involved in your company talent management or succession planning. This module takes you through models to use, tools and templates and case study analysis.
HR Metrics & Analytics
This module covers different levels of data from metrics through to predictive analytics and how you can take your business on the right journey, and ideas on different things that you should be measuring, what they can show you and how this can add value.
What our graduates say:
Here’s what recent graduates of the Certificate in HR Operations have to say:
Overall, I would enthusiastically rate the Certificate in terms of its impact on my skills. It has helped me bridge the gap between practical experience and formal HR knowledge, and I feel better equipped to provide clear, strategic, and well-rounded advice. The feedback that was provided encouraged me to go beyond surface-level responses and consider broader implications for the business. At times, it was difficult to shift from relying on practical experience alone to applying a more structured, evidence-based approach especially when answering questions around companies I do not have experience in i.e. landscaping. However, this challenge was valuable—it helped me refine my thinking, strengthen my reasoning, and ensure that my advice is not only compliant but also aligned with said business goals. I’ve learned to be more deliberate in how I communicate, tailoring it to different stakeholders and ensuring it’s backed by both policy and best practice. This has made me more confident in my role and more effective in supporting managers. O Overall, completing the modules towards my certificate has strengthened my confidence, validated my experience, and equipped me with a more robust educational backing to support my work as an HR professional. Salma, People and Culture, Banking sector
During my various HR roles, I have been across a lot of areas, sometimes just as a spectator and other times as the person handling the situation. That said I’ve still learnt new things in every single module I’ve completed. Thinking about what I’ve learned in this course, I feel excited about the ways I’ve helped my team and improved my work. This course has reinforced me that learning new things is good for me and helps me make positive changes on a personal and professional level, there is always room for me to keep learning in the HR space. During the certificate I’ve been reminded how important is to have a mindset that is open to growing and how feedback is an important part of that process. Working with different colleagues in the different modules highlighted how feedback can come in many ways and how important is to listen to it and understand what it means (different people have different ways of communicating). Now, I don’t see feedback at work as something that shows I’m not good enough. Instead, I see it as a way to get better at my job in the HR space.
Marta, P&C Advisor, Govt Sector
The feedback was really helpful. It was really in depth and you could tell that the markers had put a lot of time into reading each assignment and going through every answer when marking. I appreciated that even when you had gotten an answer correct, feedback would still be provided so you could reflect on your answer and then also think about other possible answers. This made reading through the marked assignments a lesson in itself as the markers would provide further guidance and knowledge on each subject through their feedback. An example of this was in the communications assignment when I was asked in question 7 to provide a communication plan. Even though my plan was correct, the Elephant team included another plan with some additional commentary so I could see (and learn from) a different approach. This was really great!
Sophie, People & Culture Advisor, Engineering Company
The information provided was just so informative and then being able to actually apply that knowledge through the case studies is just fantastic and really helped to bed in the information. In addition, I have gone back to the information many times already to make sure I am on the right track.
The webinars, the printable slides from the webinars, the case studies, the feedback, the workshop – gosh these have been so thoroughly helpful for each and every topic!
Melissa, HR Advisor, University sector
“I just want to pass on feedback that your material is easy to understand and the training you offer in my opinion is by the far the most relevant I’ve seen in a very long time”.
Rebecca, HR Advisor, Dairy Company
Details
The programme investment is AUD$1,450, NZ$1,550, UK £695, Euro €795, Singapore$1885 or for APAC you can pay in your local currency. The programme fees must be paid on registration.
The Certificate is scheduled to be completed within 9 months, however you can extend your deadlines due to work or other circumstances to a total of 6 months.
Please do let us know if you have any questions, as once you start your study, we are not able to issue refunds.
Registration form
Once you’ve registered, we will liaise with you on your timetable, start date and send you through an invoice that can be paid by credit card, or direct credit.
FAQ’s
How do the modules work?
The Certificate is hosted on the online learning platform podia.com. Once you’ve registered, you’ll be able to access the programme. The welcome module is available immediately, and then each month a new module will open up. You’ll then be able to access the video’s, articles, learning resources and your assignment. This is due back at the end of each month.
And the assignments?
The assignments consist of case studies with different questions to answer or asking you to review of your own processes. The pass mark is 70%. Our team will assess whether you have passed and have demonstrated good thinking around each answer. If not, they will come back to you with some coaching and feedback. You can then resubmit. The aim is to help you develop your skills in each area so you can deliver excellence to your business.
How long does each module take?
You have a month to complete each module and it will take you 2 – 5 hours to complete depending on if you have any experience or knowledge in the area already. Along with watching the webinar and reading any articles, you should be able to complete each module by putting aside an hour a week, or four hours a month.
What if I need more time?
While we schedule your Certificate over a 9 month period, you can ask for an extension on assignments if you have a busy workload, or are travelling or have any other issue that means you need more time. In total you can extend your Certificate up to 6 months, however you must finish within 15 months of beginning to be awarded the Certificate.
Can I fail the Certificate?
Yes if you don’t complete your assignments, then you cannot pass the Certificate! If you complete an assignment but haven’t demonstrated the knowledge to pass the topic, our team will provide you with feedback and coaching and give you a chance to review and resubmit your assignment.
What if I’m stuck?
If you do get stuck on an answer, then you can email our team and get some further suggestions or coaching to help you gain the knowledge needed to answer.
Still not sure if this Certificate is right for you? Why not take our quick skills assessment to see what might suit your experience and skills level. Our team can also help advise you once you’ve completed this.
About our team
During your study, the team at Elephant will present the webinars and learning material as well as mark your assignments and provide you with personalised feedback and coaching.
About Elephant Group
We work to three principles:
Elephant Group 