HR Support Level 3
apprenticeship with CIPD Level 3

Page overview

The Level 3 HR Support apprenticeship (ST0239) with the CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice included, from a CIPD Approved Centre. 18 months plus end-point assessment, £4,500 funding band, live online across England, Ofsted Good.

18
Months, plus end-point assessment
£4,500
Funding band, levy-funded
CIPD L3
Foundation Certificate in People Practice, included
13
Modules across four phases
CIPD Approved Centre

What the apprentice finishes with

The HR Support Level 3 apprenticeship certificate (graded Pass or Distinction at independent end-point assessment), the CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice, and eligibility to apply for Foundation (Associate) membership of the CIPD.

Who it is for

HR administrators, assistants and coordinators, new people-team hires, and the person who runs HR in a small organisation. Existing staff or new recruits, aged 16 upwards.

CIPD Approved Centre Ofsted Good Live online
★ 4.9/5 from 776 reviews Ofsted Good provider ▶ 10,000+ learners trained CIPD Approved Centre
£
£4,500
Skills England funding band (ST0239 v1.1)
2
Credentials: the apprenticeship and the CIPD Level 3
4
4 units
In the CIPD Foundation Certificate, mapped to the Profession Map
★
72%
Distinction rate across TESS apprenticeships

Why HR Support Level 3 is the start of a people career

The standard was written by employers including Marks and Spencer, Lloyds Bank, BT, Severn Trent and McDonald's for the person managers call first with an HR question.

What the role actually demands

Front-line advice, recruitment to retirement

Day-to-day queries, HR processes from transactional to complex, keeping records on HR systems and giving managers guidance that is compliant with policy and current law. Get it wrong and the organisation is exposed to tribunals; the apprenticeship exists to get it right.

The CIPD alongside it

The standard has no mandatory qualification, but its assessment plan recommends one. TESS includes the CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice with the apprenticeship, so the apprentice leaves with the credential HR teams recognise and a route into CIPD membership.

One people pathway, one provider

Level 3 today, People Professional Level 5 with CIPD next, and the AI & Automation Level 4 HR edition when the team is ready to automate the admin. All three are taught by the same CIPD Approved Centre, and every HR Support apprentice gets access to our AI taster days and AI talks along the way.

What the standard assesses (ST0239)
Knowledge
  • Business understanding
  • HR legislation and policy
  • The HR function
  • HR systems and processes
Skills
  • Service delivery
  • Problem solving
  • Communication and interpersonal
  • Teamwork
  • Process improvement
  • Managing HR information
  • Personal development
Behaviours
  • Honesty and integrity
  • Flexibility
  • Resilience

Source: Skills England occupational standard ST0239 v1.1. A revised standard applies to new starts from 11 March 2027.

Built for people who do the HR work

Existing staff or new recruits. The one condition is a role with real HR duties to practise on.

HR administrators and assistants

Records, contracts, onboarding, absence and payroll changes. The apprenticeship turns the tasks you already do into evidence for a Level 3 and a CIPD certificate.

HR coordinators and advisors (entry level)

First-line advice to managers on policy and process, handled confidently and in line with current law.

New people-team hires

Recruit a 16-plus apprentice into HR and give them a structured first 18 months with a named skills coach.

The HR person in a small organisation

The standard is written for the HR manager in a small business as much as the HR function in a large one.

Career changers into HR

Office managers, team administrators and customer-service staff moving into a people role, with the CIPD to prove it.

Recruitment and onboarding coordinators

Vacancy to first day: job analysis, advertising, screening, offers, contracts and induction, done properly.

What the apprentice walks away with

Two credentials and a membership route. Each has its own issuer and its own assessment; we list them plainly.

HR Support Level 3 apprenticeship

Skills England standard ST0239 v1.1, RQF Level 3
The apprenticeship itself. Independently assessed after the gateway by an Ofqual-regulated end-point assessment organisation through a consultative project and a professional discussion. Graded Fail, Pass or Distinction. Funded from the £4,500 band.
Regulated, Level 3

CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 4 units
Business, Culture and Change in Context; Principles of Analytics; Core Behaviours for People Professionals; Essentials of People Practice. Included with the apprenticeship, delivered live online by TESS as a CIPD Approved Centre and assessed against CIPD's national framework. Also available as a standalone qualification.
Regulated, Level 3

CIPD membership route

Foundation (Associate) membership eligibility
The standard states that a successful apprentice may be eligible to apply for Associate membership of the CIPD, subject to CIPD's own membership requirements. The Foundation Certificate gives Foundation membership on completion. Membership is applied for by the learner; it is not a qualification and we do not count it as one.
Professional membership

AI taster days and AI talks

Access included for every HR Support apprentice
Not a qualification: an invitation. HR Support apprentices can attend our AI & Automation taster days and TESS AI talks during the programme, so they see what AI is doing in HR administration before deciding whether the Level 4 HR edition is their next step. Coachy, our AI tutor, supports the CIPD units 24/7.
Included access

Not on this programme: Microsoft AB-730, BCS Foundation Certificate in AI, NCFE Data or Cyber Security certificates, or CMI management qualifications. Those sit on our AI & Automation Level 4 and leadership apprenticeships, where they belong.

Your 18-month journey

Thirteen modules across four phases, with the four CIPD units running alongside the apprenticeship knowledge, skills and behaviours. Then gateway and end-point assessment.

How it is taught: one live online workshop a month with a TESS trainer, monthly one-to-one coaching, Coachy between sessions, and the apprentice's own work as the portfolio. Off-the-job training is planned with the employer at the start so it does not surprise anyone later.

1

Foundations: the organisation, the law and the systems

Months 1 to 4 · CIPD unit: Business, Culture and Change in Context
Business understanding
M1
The organisation and the HR function
Structure, products and services, the external market, the organisation's values, and where HR and the apprentice's own role fit.
Legislation and policy
M2
Employment law and the policy framework
Contracts, working time, discrimination and equality, family leave, discipline and grievance, and how the organisation's policies apply them. Knowing where to find expert advice.
Systems and processes
M3
HR systems, records and data protection
Core HR systems, record-keeping standards, UK GDPR and confidentiality, and the processes the apprentice will run every week.
2

Recruitment to first day

Months 5 to 9 · CIPD unit: Essentials of People Practice
Recruitment
M4
Recruitment and selection
Job analysis, adverts and sourcing, screening, interviews and assessment, fair decision-making and right-to-work checks.
Employee experience
M5
Contracts, onboarding and induction
Offers, contracts and variations, pre-employment checks, induction planning and the first ninety days.
Service delivery
M6
Advising managers
Questioning and active listening to find the real issue, giving compliant guidance, building managers' own confidence, and knowing when to escalate.
3

The employee lifecycle

Months 10 to 14 · CIPD unit: Principles of Analytics
People development
M7
Performance, absence and wellbeing
Probation, appraisal and performance support, absence management, occupational health referrals and reasonable adjustments.
Employee relations
M8
Sensitive cases and employee relations
Supporting disciplinary, grievance and flexible-working processes: note-taking, letters, timelines and confidentiality.
Pay and benefits
M9
Pay, payroll changes and benefits administration
Starters, leavers and changes; statutory pay; pension auto-enrolment; benefits records; working with payroll without becoming a payroll clerk.
HR information
M10
HR data and management information
Headcount, turnover, absence and recruitment reporting; interpreting people data and presenting it to the business.
4

Improvement, learning support, and the gateway

Months 15 to 18 · CIPD unit: Core Behaviours for People Professionals
Process improvement
M11
Improving an HR process
Spotting an improvement within the authority of the role, scoping it, running it and measuring it. This becomes the consultative project.
Learning and development
M12
Supporting learning and development
Training needs, booking and recording learning, induction and compliance training, and the apprentice's own continuing professional development plan for CIPD membership.
Gateway
M13
Portfolio, gateway and project scoping
English and maths confirmed, portfolio complete, the consultative project agreed with the employer and the assessor, and the professional discussion rehearsed.

After month 18: end-point assessment

Consultative project (up to three months), then a 60 to 75 minute professional discussion

Independently assessed by an Ofqual-regulated end-point assessment organisation. Graded Fail, Pass or Distinction.

What it costs the employer

The HR Support Level 3 sits in the £4,500 Skills England funding band. Here is how that lands for you.

£
£0
Levy-paying employers with funds in their Growth and Skills Levy account pay nothing extra: the £4,500 is drawn from the levy. Unused levy expires after 12 months.
5%
£225
Non-levy employers co-invest 5% for apprentices aged 25 and over at the start; the government funds the remaining 95%. Apprentices aged 16 to 24 at a non-levy employer are fully government funded, up to the band.
25%
£1,125
Levy payers whose account has run out co-invest 25% on new starts. We confirm your exact position on the discovery call; we never quote a levy balance we cannot see.
2
2 credentials
The apprenticeship and the included CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate. Both travel with the employee; the capability stays with you.

HR Support Level 3 at TESS compared with a typical provider

Feature Typical HR Support provider HR Support Level 3 (TESS)
CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate Varies: often optional or at extra cost ✓ Included, delivered by a CIPD Approved Centre
Who teaches it Varies ✓ Trainers who deliver CIPD Level 3, 5 and 7 every week
Progression in-house Often stops at Level 3 ✓ People Professional Level 5 (CIPD), Senior People Professional Level 7, AI & Automation Level 4 HR edition
AI exposure ✗ Rarely offered ✓ Access to TESS AI taster days and AI talks, plus Coachy AI tutor 24/7
Support Tutor contact at reviews ✓ Named skills coach, monthly one-to-one, Coachy between sessions
Delivery Classroom, day release or online ✓ Live online, England-wide, one workshop a month
Ofsted Varies ✓ Good (June 2025); 4.9/5 from 776 reviews
Funding band £4,500 £4,500, the same band, with the CIPD included

CIPD Approved Centre

Delivering CIPD Levels 3, 5 and 7

Ofsted Good

Inspected June 2025; Skills England approved provider

72% distinction

Across TESS apprenticeships at end-point assessment

Why employers choose TESS for HR Support

A people pathway, not a one-off course

Level 3 HR Support, Level 5 People Professional and Level 7 Senior People Professional are all here, all CIPD-aligned, all taught by the same team. Your HR apprentice has somewhere to go next.

Taught by people who teach CIPD every week

The trainers and coaches on this programme deliver the CIPD Level 3, 5 and 7 standalone qualifications, so the apprenticeship and the certificate are planned together rather than bolted on.

A window on AI, without changing the standard

HR Support apprentices get access to our AI & Automation taster days and AI talks. The Level 3 stays focused on HR practice; the AI route is there when they and you are ready for it.

We say what is and is not included

Two credentials, one membership route, access to AI tasters and talks. No inflated qualification counts; each item on this page names its issuer and its assessment.

Accreditation and assessment bodies

Who stands behind each part of the programme.

End-point assessment (EPA)

Two assessment methods set out in the ST0239 assessment plan, carried out by an independent assessor once the employer and TESS agree the apprentice is ready.

1

Gateway

The employer, with TESS, confirms the apprentice has met the standard, holds the required English and maths, and has a complete portfolio.

2

Consultative project

A real piece of HR work from the apprentice's role, scoped after gateway and completed within three months, marked independently against the standard.

3

Professional discussion

60 to 75 minutes, 13 to 16 questions, within two weeks of the project being marked. Explores the skills and behaviours, supported by the portfolio.

4

Graded Fail, Pass or Distinction

The independent assessor decides the grade on the project and the discussion together. TESS prepares the apprentice from month 15, not the week before.

The EPA timeline
15
Months 15 to 18: preparation

Portfolio completed, improvement project identified, English and maths confirmed.

18
Month 18: gateway

Employer and TESS sign off. Project scoped with the assessment organisation.

19
Months 19 to 21: consultative project

Completed in the workplace within three months and submitted for independent marking.

22
Month 22: professional discussion and grade

Discussion held within two weeks of the project mark. Result issued; CIPD certificate already in hand.

HR Support Level 3: questions employers ask

Straight answers, taken from the standard and our own delivery.

Who is the HR Support Level 3 apprenticeship for?

▼
HR administrators, assistants and coordinators, new people-team recruits, career changers into HR, and the person who runs HR in a small organisation. The apprentice must be in a role with real HR duties, because the portfolio and the consultative project come from their own work. Managing a team is outside the scope of this standard.

Is the CIPD Level 3 included?

▼
Yes. The CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice is included with the HR Support apprenticeship and delivered by TESS as a CIPD Approved Centre. The standard does not mandate a qualification; the CIPD is our choice because it is the credential HR teams recognise.

What does HR Support Level 3 cost an employer?

▼
The apprenticeship sits in the £4,500 Skills England funding band. Levy payers with funds draw it from their Growth and Skills Levy account and pay nothing extra. Non-levy employers pay 5% (£225) for apprentices aged 25 and over, and nothing for apprentices aged 16 to 24. Levy payers whose account has run out co-invest 25% (£1,125) on new starts. Apprentice wages are paid by the employer as normal.

How long does the HR Support apprenticeship take?

▼
Skills England's typical duration is 18 months of training, not including the end-point assessment. TESS plans 18 months of delivery, then gateway, a consultative project of up to three months and a professional discussion, so most apprentices finish inside 22 months. Prior experience can shorten the training period.

Does the apprentice need any qualifications or HR experience to start?

▼
No HR experience is required and the standard has no entry qualifications. English and maths must be completed in line with the apprenticeship funding rules; where an apprentice does not already hold them, TESS delivers them alongside the programme.

How is HR Support Level 3 assessed?

▼
After gateway, an independent, Ofqual-regulated end-point assessment organisation marks a consultative project (a real piece of HR work completed within three months) and conducts a 60 to 75 minute professional discussion. The grade is Fail, Pass or Distinction. The CIPD Foundation Certificate is assessed separately against CIPD's framework during the programme.

Can this be used for existing staff as well as new hires?

▼
Yes. Most TESS apprentices are existing employees. An existing HR administrator who has never had formal training is exactly who the standard was written for. New recruits aged 16 and over are equally eligible, and we can help you advertise the vacancy on Find an Apprenticeship.

What comes after Level 3?

▼
The People Professional Level 5 apprenticeship with the CIPD Associate Diploma, the Senior People Professional Level 7, or the AI & Automation Level 4 HR edition for an HR team ready to automate its own admin. All three are delivered by TESS, so the coach and the employer relationship carry over.
CIPD Approved CentreCIPD Approved Centre
Delivering CIPD Levels 3, 5 and 7

Ready to grow your people team?

A 30-minute call covers eligibility, funding for your organisation, the included CIPD Level 3, and the next cohort date.

Book a discovery call CIPD Level 3 on its own