Human resources aspirants or professionals alike need to stay on the edge of skill renewal and learning.
Learning, adding new skills, certificates, and adding new courses to your resume has never been this easy. The world of human resources as we know it has always been changing. However, it is changing faster than ever before with nuanced practices and in-depth learning.
HR newbies and experienced professionals thus need to stay ahead of developments and technology to meet the requirements of the current and future workplace.
HR is no longer what we've known it to be, traditionally. Software, AI, Machine Learning, and Networking are just a few of the new developments in human resources.
An HR professional's goal should be to be more skilled than they need to be today to meet tomorrow's demands. In the past, this would involve taking time off work and enrolling in an institution for quite a while. Not to mention, saving up a fair amount to make sure you get into the best institutions that offer well-recognized HR courses.
Well, none of these are limiting factors now. If anything is holding an HR executive back from becoming more valuable to themselves and their organization, it does not lie externally.
Yes, it is that plain: upskilling yourself is all in your hands today. This list has been curated carefully to include some of the most quintessential HR courses you need to upskill.
To further simplify your search, the list is divided into HR Analytics courses, HR Management courses, and HR Certification courses.
Note: All prices indicated pertain to when this list was curated. Rates and fees may have changed since.
This course will suit working or aspiring professionals, as it takes a mere six hours to complete and is 100% online. Additionally, the flexible deadlines ensure that you do not have to take a day off to finish an assessment.
Enrolment is entirely free.
By the end of this course, you will be skilled in Data Analysis, HR lifecycle, Strategic mindset, and HR best practices.
This course is ideal for young professionals or aspirants looking to upskill. It takes about nine hours to complete and is also completely online. It also offers flexible deadlines.
Enrolment is free.
By the end of this HR course, you would have gained the following skills: talent management, analytics, performance management, and collaboration.
This Certification course comprises of Eight courses:
This fascinating course is recommended for aspirants looking to be more desirable for entry-level jobs in HR. It is a longer course and could take up to six months to complete, but completely worth the while. The course is entirely online and also offers flexible deadlines.
Enrolment is entirely free.
This HR analytics course equips you with the following skills: Spreadsheets, data cleansing, data analysis, data visualization (DataViz), SQL, questioning, decision making, problem-solving, metadata, data collection, data ethics, and sample size determination.
It is a paid online HR course.
At the end of the course, candidates will be able to:
This HR analytics course is appropriate for those higher up the HR management chain. However, it will still add value to anyone who is looking at furthering their careers. The course allows candidates to set the pace and should take a maximum of twelve hours.
LinkedIn offers a free 1-month trial of a few parts of this HR analytics course. It cannot be stressed enough how much every budding or experienced professional should use this opportunity. The instructors are professionals or esteemed individuals practicing in the field.
This advanced course talks about what People Analytics is and how businesses can use data and HR strategies to solve their issues. It also compares People Analytics with AI, machine learning, and big data.
This section of HR courses is curated for people managers or those aspiring to become HR managers. Upskilling is a requirement no matter which rung of the ladder you are on.
While the learning ease of the course is viable for those who want to brush up their skills before leaving college, it is recommended for managers that want to fortify their skill-set. It takes about six months to complete this online HR course. It also has flexible deadlines.
By the end of the HR management course, you will be upskilled in the following areas:
It covers these main modules:
Considering all its benefits, this is a worthwhile free course. Not only is it backed by a recognized name, but it also gives you access to all the lecture notes and readings. It also allows you to pace yourself and does not require adherence to strict deadlines.
There are two lectures of one and a half hours each every week, besides the downloads and readings.
Offered by: MIT OpenCourseWare
With this HR certification course, you will learn:
Once you've reached a certain level in HR, growth doesn't necessarily have to be upwards. Instead, it could be horizontal, which means taking on varying responsibilities solely related to HR. Today, it is imperative to be skilled in more than one area.
While this course is not specific to HR, it is a valuable addition to have under your belt. Being certified by Google in project management goes a long way in creating an impression. Not to mention, it gives you an enviable skill set that will help you shake things up at the workplace to encourage your team to contribute more.
It is meant for entry-level applicants who are likely to get the most out of it, but it is also highly recommended for professionals looking for lateral growth.
SHRM offers two kinds of HR certification courses:
However, if your degree is related to HR, you require one less year of experience.
Both HR professionals and freshers can take the course. The university offers the entire course for this price. However, it also allows candidates to take individual two-week modules. It may be more beneficial for working professionals or those that have to adhere to a budget.
It may be a good idea to do one or two modules every few months and take your time to get fully certified.
Change management courses are a smart way to stay relevant. The HR world is changing with the adoption of new HR tech. Therefore, you would want to be a part of what drives the change. This certification lets you become valuable and indispensable to your organization.
These courses typically last four weeks and are half-day classes. You could also opt for two-day programs if that fits your schedule better. It is an entirely online HR course.
The course will help professionals in these areas:
Conclusion
If you are looking to get certified on other platforms or from other institutions, besides your main alma mater, do the research required to make sure they are recognized and add value to your resume. This relatively comprehensive list of HR courses proves that there are numerous opportunities out there for upskilling yourself.
If you are a young aspiring professional or just started working, it is understandable that you may not feel the importance of studying more. After all, you have most likely just finished a few years at college or university.
However, that is a mindset that you should deviate from. Switch from the perspective of seeing learning as a chore.
Instead, see it as a set of keys.
The more keys you have on your keychain, the more value you unlock for yourself as a person and for the organization that you are a part of.
Upskilling is imperative for anyone looking to move up the ladder or get better at their jobs.
These courses are meant for individuals from several backgrounds looking to upskill. Because in reality, organizations always need their human capital and human resource management force to keep up.
Organizations, on their part, must take the helm in guiding young and tenured employees alike towards education that amplifies their skills and impacts the organization and society fruitfully.
Employers must keep this critical fact in mind when investing in employee skill enhancement. An employee who feels invested in your company is more likely to have a higher output and less likely to search for a job elsewhere.
With the ever-changing corporate and business environments and modes of working, we must keep up with the changing tides, or inevitably be left behind.
While you are likely to find more than one or two courses here that pique your interest, this ultimate list of HR courses is not exhaustive. Research and find the course with the modules that fit you the best.