Apprenticeships offer ambitious HR professionals the best way to stay on top of significant legal changes and to progress their careers.
That’s the opinion of Angela Kaine, Operations Director for Programmes at leading training provider Realise, who said signing up for an apprenticeship demonstrates commitment and dedication to best practice.
And apprenticeships are perfectly positioned to offer real-life experience and learning resilience, Angela believes.
“Employment law is constantly evolving – and we are heading towards one of the most significant changes we have ever seen with the new Government’s Employment Rights Bill,” said Angela.
“This covers everything from the banning of zero-hour contracts, day-one rights on parental leave and sick pay, a requirement for employers to accommodate flexible working right from the off and the easing of restrictions on trade union activity.
“The end result will be increased employment tribunals, countless re-written contracts and sweeping modifications to recruitment processes.
“As HR professionals, we have a responsibility to be aware of these changes and how they impact the work we do. It’s not only about dealing with claims – it’s about stopping it getting that far in the first place.
“We’ll be adapting our apprenticeships immediately with the latest legislation. Due to the constant changing nature of employment law, apprenticeships can play a big part in teaching you how to be agile and to know where to go for the right information.
“From my own experience of achieving the HR Consultant apprenticeship, perhaps the biggest benefit was developing critical thinking skills and building a network of knowledge to call upon.”
Angela said traditional HR qualifications are ideal in providing underpinning theories – and firmly believes the on-the-job nature of apprenticeships give them added advantage in developing practical skills.
She said: “Understanding a theory is a good foundation to build on and applying this learning in real situations helps you see how it works in practice, gaining valuable experience as you go.
“With an apprenticeship, you are exposed to real-life problems and learn how to deal with them. If there are mistakes along the way, you learn by them and do it better next time.
“It helps to develop behaviours such as resilience. In HR you are dealing with real people who might well have problems they want resolved. Until you are in that situation, you don’t know how you are going to feel.
“Away from the workplace, we encourage peer-to-peer learning so our learners can share what happens in their organisation.
“Our apprenticeships include interactive, live learning sessions and have the flexibility to discuss hot topics and legal changes as they happen. That’s a really good way of learning.
“Apprenticeships also help you to present yourself as a credible HR professional who has on-the-ground experience. It shows credibility and dedication.”
Realise runs two main HR apprenticeships – People Professional Level 5 and HR Support Level 3 – taking around 200 people through the courses over the last year.
The Level 5 apprenticeship is for HR professionals who are looking to progress in their careers, perhaps to become business partners or business consultants. They have probably been in HR for some time and are seeking to move upwards. Topics include business acumen, commercial drive, digital working and analytics.
The Level 3 qualification is geared towards people who want to start their career in HR or have some experience already and want to expand on their knowledge. Learners will cover legislation and policy, systems and processes, problem solving and reporting to management.
Realise’s learners come from a wide range of sectors, including retail, health and social care, transport and Government.
Realise also has Learning and Development (L&D) courses at Levels 3 and 5, which are popular with those working alongside colleagues in HR teams, such as employee relations, reward and recruitment.
Angela said: “Apprenticeships can really give you the edge and help you kick-start a HR career. We have some tremendous success stories where learners have been promoted and now play important roles within their business.”
The post Apprenticeships lauded for HR career progression first appeared on HR News.
Apprenticeships offer ambitious HR professionals the best way to stay on top of significant legal changes and to progress their…
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