Post A Job
Advertise Courses
Search Jobs
Search Courses

Free CIPD Level 3 HR Course in Maidstone

CostFREE
Duration1 year
LevelLevel 3
DeliveryClassroom based
Start7 Sep 2026
Study modePart-time
AttendanceDaytime
Awarding bodyCIPD awarding body
Apply now →

About this course

Free CIPD Level 3 HR Course in Maidstone. Classes run at MidKent College Maidstone Campus, part-time during the day. The course takes one year to complete, making it manageable alongside other commitments. It covers the knowledge, behaviours, and values that underpin modern people practice, following the CIPD Profession Map launched in 2021. You'll study topics including HR fundamentals, employment law, and how organisations manage and develop their people. The provider asks that you are working in HR or a suitable role, and can demonstrate good written and verbal communication skills. You'll finish with the CIPD Foundation Certificate in People Practice.

Who this course is for

**In January 2021, CIPD launched a new Profession Map with brand new qualifications to equip Human Resources practitoners with the knowledge, behaviours and values underpinning the profession. Were an accredited centre, and students joining our CIPD programmes in September 2021 will commence the new programmes**

This qualification is designed to introduce students to a wide range of relevant knowledge and expertise in people practice.

It is suited to those students who:

  • are studying, aspiring to, or embarking on, a career in people practice
  • are working in a people practice support role and wish to develop their knowledge
  • wish to develop the specialist knowledge, skills and understanding required to be a people professional.

What will I learn

The Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the leading human resources professional body.

The qualification introduces you to areas such as:

  • Business, culture and change
  • Principles of analytics
  • Core behaviours for people professionals
  • Essentials of people practice

You will develop an understanding of the key external influences that impact on businesses and the context within which they operate. You will gain an understanding of the importance of using data, the different types of data measurement and how these are used to inform decision making. You will evaluate ethical values and contextualise them within your work, specifying the ways in which you conform to associated regulation and law.

Each of the four modules are separately assessed, either via written documents looking at how your own organisation operates or through a practical-skills-based assignment using a supplied case study.

This qualification can be delivered flexibly, and is available as blended learning with a mixture of in-class and online sessions with your tutor, or as a fully online course. It is also available either during the daytime

Entry requirements

This qualification is designed for individuals who want to learn about people practice and students should ideally be working in HR or suitable employment already.

Students should also have a good written and verbal communication skills demonstrable through qualifications achieved and discussion at interview.

What you will learn

  • You'll explore the foundations of people practice and how HR functions within organisations.
  • You'll study employment law and how it shapes HR decisions and policies.
  • You'll learn how organisations attract, recruit, and retain people.
  • You'll examine how learning and development supports people at work.
  • You'll develop an understanding of reward, wellbeing, and employee relations.
  • You'll apply the values and behaviours set out in the CIPD Profession Map.

How you will learn

You'll attend classroom-based sessions at MidKent College Maidstone Campus during the day. Assessment is through written assignments and applied tasks linked to real HR scenarios. The CIPD Foundation Certificate in People Practice is assessed without formal exams. Work you produce is submitted for marking against CIPD standards, so being in employment during the course helps you apply what you learn.

What you will need to bring

The centre will provide most materials. MidKent College Maidstone Campus will confirm anything else you need before you start.

Where next

Jobs you could do

  • HR Assistant, supporting recruitment, records, and employee queries
  • HR Administrator, handling day-to-day people processes
  • People Operations Assistant, working across HR functions in larger teams
  • Recruitment Coordinator, managing hiring processes and candidate pipelines
  • Learning and Development Administrator, supporting training programmes
  • Payroll and HR Support Officer, combining people data with payroll tasks

What you could study next

  • CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management, the next step for those moving into a more senior HR role or aiming for Chartered Associate membership of the CIPD.
  • CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in Organisational Learning and Development, suited to those focusing on training and development within organisations.

Both Level 5 qualifications build directly on the Foundation Certificate and are widely recognised by employers hiring for HR Advisor and L&D roles.

Apply on midkent.ac.uk →
Apply now →

Related courses at MidKent College Maidstone Campus

More courses near you