People Professional Level 5 (ST0238)
Earn the CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management, embedded within the People Professional apprenticeship. A CIPD-accredited HR qualification, AI-augmented practice, and 16 months of structured development with TESS Group. Fully levy-funded.
The next cohort starts 18 November 2026, and every session date is on this page. Questions? Call 0333 0523 003 or email [email protected].
The CIPD Level 5 HR apprenticeship (officially the People Professional Level 5, ST0238) earns learners the CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management, the recognised professional credential for HR. Delivered over 16 months (13 months of learning plus a 3-month End-Point Assessment), fully levy-funded at £11,000, with Associate CIPD membership eligibility on completion. Delivered by TESS Group, a CIPD Approved Centre and an Ofsted Good provider (June 2025).
You'll need real people work in your day job: recruitment, employee relations, policy, reward or L&D. Most people in these roles are already doing it.
Move from transactions to strategy. Build HR advisory capability and drive organisational effectiveness.
Partner with business leaders. Deepen HR advisory practice and drive business outcomes.
Build an HR foundation alongside L&D expertise. Develop talent and drive learning impact.
Switch into HR with a credible qualification. CIPD Level 5 is the recognised foundation for HR careers.
Get a structured foundation for HR leadership. CIPD Level 5 prepares you for senior HR roles.
Step up from HR coordination to strategic HR work. Build advisory, consultancy and AI-augmented HR capability.
Levy-funded, no extra fees. TESS Group is a CIPD Approved Centre, so the full Diploma sits inside the apprenticeship rather than bolted on.
The recognised professional qualification for HR globally. Seven CIPD units covering organisational performance, evidence-based practice, professional behaviours, employment relationships, talent and workforce planning, reward, and equality, diversity and inclusion.
The official Level 5 apprenticeship standard for HR and people professionals. Thirteen months of structured learning plus a three-month End-Point Assessment, with protected off-the-job time and one-to-one coaching throughout.
The full CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management curriculum, awarded by the CIPD. Three Core units, three Specialist HR units, and one Optional unit.
5CO01 · Organisational Performance & Culture in PracticeHow organisational strategy, culture and change shape people practice, and how HR contributes to business performance.
5CO02 · Evidence-Based PracticeUsing data and evidence to diagnose people problems, make sound HR decisions and create measurable value.
5CO03 · Professional Behaviours & Valuing PeopleThe professional behaviours, values and ethics that define credible people practice and a healthy people profession.
5HR01 · Employment Relationship ManagementManaging the employment relationship day to day. Voice, engagement, conflict handling, and legal compliance.
5HR02 · Talent Management & Workforce PlanningAttracting, selecting, developing and retaining talent in line with workforce plans and organisational goals.
5HR03 · Reward for Performance & ContributionDesigning and operating reward systems that drive performance, fairness, and motivation at every level.
Our programme builds 5OS05 Equality, Diversity & Inclusion into the first module, because it's the unit every people team needs. If your sector or role calls for a different specialist unit, talk to us at onboarding and we'll agree the best fit between learner, line manager and TESS skills coach.
Thirteen months of learning, then a three-month End-Point Assessment. Fourteen live 6-hour sessions, a CIPD assignment tied to each unit, and a skills coach 1-to-1 every single month. Click a month to explore it.
Off-the-job learning averages around 8.7 hours a week across the practical period (487 hours minimum). Functional skills in maths and English, mental-health, safeguarding and wellbeing e-learning are threaded through the programme.
Anyone can promise you a start month. These are the actual dates — every session from November 2026 through to the end of 2027, confirmed rather than indicative. Sort cover once instead of fourteen times.
These dates are fixed at enrolment — they will not move under you. If the timing is wrong or this one fills, book a call and we will find the cohort that fits.
Everything the apprenticeship assesses, in one view. Your workplace evidence maps to these thirteen duties in OneFile as you go.
Live teaching, a named coach, a portfolio that builds itself as you work, and priority access to our free AI Taster Days. Employers get visibility too.
As a TESS learner you jump the queue for our free AI Leadership Taster Days: a full day sampling an AI unit alongside 25 to 50 leaders from other organisations. See upcoming dates →
Every assignment, review and piece of workplace evidence lives in one place, mapped to the 13 duties, so gateway is a formality rather than a scramble.
A 1-to-1 every month, plus three-way progress reviews with your line manager. Stretch targets, functional skills and assignment feedback, all with the same person.
Stakeholders track attendance, progress and grades for every learner without chasing anyone. Funding and apprenticeship-service admin handled with you.
Every learner on this programme gets a free seat on our Ultimate Prompt Engineering Masterclass. Learn how modern HR and people teams use Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini to speed up recruitment drafting, analyse employee feedback at scale, sharpen policies and comms, and free up time for strategic partnership work.
People professionals coach every day: performance conversations, career development, supporting managers through change. If you'd like the credential to match, we'll add a fully funded place on our CMI Level 5 Award in Management Coaching and Mentoring alongside your apprenticeship. Entirely optional, no extra cost, and it earns you a second nationally recognised qualification.
Chartered Management InstituteIndependently assessed over the final three months, once you and your employer confirm you're ready at gateway.
Written assessment covering HR principles, employment law and people practice. Demonstrates your knowledge foundation.
Present your real HR project and answer questions on it. Demonstrates application and communication.
A structured discussion of your HR experience, portfolio and professional development with an independent assessor.
You need to be doing genuine people work in your role: recruitment, employee relations, policy, payroll and benefits, or L&D. You don't need a prior HR qualification. HR coordinators, advisors, business partners, school business managers and office managers with people responsibilities are all typical starting points.
The CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management is the globally recognised mid-level HR credential, equivalent to the second year of an undergraduate degree. On completion you're eligible for Associate CIPD membership, the designation most HR job adverts at advisor and partner level ask for.
Levy-paying employers draw the £11,000 funding band from their apprenticeship levy account. If you do not pay the levy, apprentices aged 16 to 24 are fully funded by government and those aged 25 and over carry a 5% employer contribution of £550 across the whole programme. Levy payers whose own accounts run dry pay 25% (£2,750) on their 25-and-over starts, under the rate that took effect on 1 August 2026. The CIPD Diploma, coaching, OneFile, priority AI Taster Day places, the AI Masterclass seat and the optional CMI Level 5 Coaching Award are all included, with no registration or certification fees on top.
16 months in total: 13 months of structured learning followed by a 3-month End-Point Assessment window. If you already hold a relevant Level 4 qualification we'll look at recognising that prior learning at onboarding.
You undertake End-Point Assessment in months 14 to 16 and, on passing, receive both the apprenticeship certificate and the CIPD Diploma. Many learners step up with their current employer; others progress to CIPD Level 7 or into specialist HR roles.
Yes. Associate membership is the stepping stone. With experience and the Level 7 Advanced Diploma, or through CIPD's experience assessment route, you can progress to Chartered Member (MCIPD).
Yes. AI-assisted people analytics, learning design and reporting are woven through the workshops, and every learner gets a complimentary seat on our AI Prompting Masterclass covering Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini for HR work.
A 30-minute conversation with Rod or Lisa. We'll check the fit, walk through your levy position and give you something short to send to whoever signs it off.
Prefer email? [email protected] · 0333 0523 003 · or use the enquiry form.