Course overview
The CIPD Level 5 diploma is designed for those who already have some experience in human resources and wish to build a career in people management. During this course, you will build a stronger understanding of how to manage and develop the people management function within your organisation. You will gain the skills needed to evaluate contemporary theories and models and apply them strategically to enhance the performance of any organisation you work for. You will have an understanding of the external environment in which your company is operating and how this compares to other sectors of the economy.
Campus locations
- Burfoot Court Room, Guys Hospital, London Bridge, London SE1 9RT
- Franklin-Wilkins Building, Stamford Street, London, SE1 8WA
- Kings College London, Strand Campus, London WC2R 2LS
- Weston House, Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JH
- UCL Institute of Child Health, 30 Guildford Street, London WC1N 1EH
- University of Westminster, Regent Street Campus, 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2HW
- Birkbeck University, Malet Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7HX
- University College Hospital, Euston, London NW1 2BU
- University of East London, Duncan House, High Street, London E15 2JB
- Olympic Village, Stratford, London E15 4PH
Job outcomes
- HR Business Partner or Manager
- People Analyst
- Employee Relations Manager
- Diversity and Inclusion
- Specialist
- Resourcing Business Partner
- Reward and Benefits Manager
- Talent Manager roles
Study method
- Blended
- Online
- In-class

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Duration study load
- 8 – 10 months part-time
Course features
- 96.4% Level 5 pass rate
- More flexible study options than anyone else
- Start dates every month, throughout the year
- 24/7 access to specially designed online resources
- Free official Level 5 CIPD textbook
- A welcoming community of experienced tutors, as well as Acacia’s friendly support team
- Plentiful opportunities to meet like-minded professionals and create lifelong connections
- Celebratory Graduation events and our annual Awards night
- Interest-free monthly payment options
- Highly competitive prices without compromising on quality
Assessment
The CIPD Level 5 courses are broken down into modules. At the end of each module, you will have a written assessment which is marked by your tutor. All assessments go through a rigorous internal and external verification process. This ensures Acacia consistently meets the highest quality standards set by the CIPD.
Assessments will vary between each module but will always have a practical application. For example, you may need to write a project plan or a briefing paper.
Testimonials
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Sarah BarlettCIPD Level 5 Diploma in People Management"I can’t recommend Acacia highly enough, the office staff and the tutors are fantastic. I received so much support and guidance throughout. I always struggled with studying and I had so much self-doubt but with their help, I actually finished and passed my level 5."
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Martin HayesCIPD Level 5 Diploma in People Management"Excellent place to study, well-designed curriculum, a great cohort of professional tutors and ongoing support from the administrative staff!"
Who's it for?
The CIPD Level 5 intermediate Diploma in People Management qualification is ideal if you are:
- Already working in an HR role (at a managerial level) or perhaps looking to step up the ladder for a new HR role that requires this level
- You may already have some HR experience however a recognised qualification will strengthen your professional capabilities and “best practice” in your place of work
- Already have a relevant degree and wish to take the next steps
Delivery
- You can complete your CIPD Level 5 course remotely via our online sessions or through 1-2-1 portfolio building.
- Our Live Online classes run once a month. They combine the convenience of remote learning, with the supportive structure and interaction of a classroom environment.
- Experienced professionals can complete modules through our Competency route. This gives you 121 specialist tutor support. Your tutor will guide you to build a portfolio of evidence in place of classroom learning. Sessions are arranged at times to suit you directly with the tutor using Skype.
Subjects
This unit examines the connections between the organisational structure and the workplace in a business context. It also considers the factors and trends that may impact business strategy and workforce planning, whilst recognising the influence of culture, employee wellbeing and behaviour in delivering change and organisational performance.
Learning outcomes:
- Understand the connections between organisational structure, strategy and the business operating environment.
- Analyse external factors and trends and assess business priorities and issues including the scale of technology within organisations.
- Interpret theories and models of organisational and human behaviour and the drivers for change.
- Examine how to build diversity and inclusion that aims to promote a positive culture.
- Evaluate the relationship between the employee lifecycle and your work and how people practice connects and supports people and organisational strategies to ensure business goals are delivered in line with customer requirements.
This unit will help you to understand the importance of capturing quantitative and qualitative evidence to gain insight and evaluate critical information. It focuses on analysing evidence to improve decision-making and learn how measuring the impact of people practice is essential in creating value.
Learning outcomes:
- Develop an understanding of the concepts of evidence-based practice and the tools and methods that are applied to diagnose issues and opportunities.
- Explain the principles of critical thinking and assess how different ethical perspectives can influence decision making.
- Evaluate the benefits, risks and financial implications of solutions aimed at improving people practice issues.
- Measure the impact and value people practice contributions make to organisations through the collation of key findings and scrutiny of key systems and data.
In this module you will learn how applying key professional behaviours including ethical practice, courage and inclusivity can build positive working relationships and support employee participation and well-being. It considers how developing and mastering new professional behaviours and practice can impact performance.
Learning outcomes:
- Demonstrate professional and ethical behaviours by appraising what it means to be a people professional, and how personal and ethical values can be applied, including contributing to discussions with confidence and conviction to influence others.
- Champion inclusive and collaborative strategies, arguing the human and business benefits of inclusive behaviours and the right to be fairly treated at work.
- Design and evaluate solutions aimed at building positive working relationships.
- Demonstrate a personal commitment to learning, professional development and performance improvement by exploring how the role of a people professional is evolving.
- Assess your own strengths, weaknesses and development areas and formulate a range of CPD activities to support your learning journey.
This module looks at the key practices and tools to manage and build employee relationships to create better working lives and leverage organisational performance.
Learning outcomes:
- Develop an understanding of practices aimed at supporting better working lives, differentiating between employee involvement and participation as well as reviewing emerging developments to inform approaches to employee voice and engagement.
- Learn about conflict and misbehaviour, assessing emerging trends in conflict and industrial sanctions, third party conciliation, mediation, and arbitration.
- Learn about performance, disciplinary and grievance matters and explain the skills required for effective grievance and discipline handling procedures.
- Learn about the main provisions of collective employment law and the types of employee representation.
This module examines the impact of effective workforce planning; the value of diverse talent pools and how to contract and onboard the workforce. It also includes an analysis of the potential cost to the organisation (if poorly managed) and the tools and interventions required to mitigate this risk.
• Extend your understanding of labour market trends and their significance for workforce planning.
- Explain how organisations position themselves and the impact of a changing labour market on resourcing decisions.
- Evaluate techniques to support workforce planning and explain approaches to succession and contingency planning, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of different methods of recruitment and selection aimed at building effective workforces.
- Examine turnover and retention trends and compare different approaches to developing and retaining talent looking at how organisations build talent pools.
- Learn about the importance of managing contractual arrangements and onboarding.
This module examines both internal and external business factors and how they influence reward strategies and policies, the financial drivers of the organisation and the impact of reward costs. It considers the importance of the role of people practice in supporting managers to make professional reward judgements and the impact of rewarding performance.
Learning outcomes
- How to evaluate the principles of reward and its importance to culture and performance management and how policies and practices are implemented.
- Explain how people and organisational performance impacts the approach to reward and the different types of benefits offered by organisations.
- Evaluate the most appropriate ways in which data can be gathered and measured and develop insight from benchmarking data.
- Develop reward packages and explain legislative requirements that impact reward practice.
- Review the role of people practice in supporting managers to make consistent and appropriate reward judgements aligned to agreed approaches.
The specialist employment law module looks at the key areas of employment legislation and its legal framework. It focuses on how people professionals are obliged to take account of legal requirements in different jurisdictions when carrying out the varied aspects of their role.
Learning outcomes
- Learn about the purpose of employment regulation and the way that it is enforced in practice.
- Evaluate the aims and objectives, the role played by the tribunal and courts in enforcing employment law and how cases are settled before and after legal procedures.
- Explain the main principles of discrimination law, how to manage recruitment and selection activities lawfully as well as learning about redundancy law and changes in contracts.
- Learn about managing issues relating to pay and working time in a lawful way and employment rights for flexible working.
This module is designed to help People Management practitioners to understand people practice from an international perspective. It focuses on the challenges, considerations and importance of people practice in an international context. You will learn about the importance of people practice and the process and benefits of managing expatriates.
Learning outcomes
- Examine contextual factors in relation to managing people from an international perspective and assess the drivers and benefits of employment in an international context.
- Explain convergent and divergent approaches to policy and practice and learn about the factors relevant in selecting and resourcing, as well as the challenges and cultural differences to consider.
- Evaluate the reasons expatriates are used for international working and the formation of appropriate policies and processes for selecting, preparing and managing overseas repatriation.
About Acacia Learning
We are a learning company founded on a passion to deliver the highest quality and most flexible training programmes possible – ones that make a real difference to learners and employers alike. Since we started, we have helped thousands of people to take their knowledge, skills and careers to the next level.
We are specialists in Human Resources, Learning & Development and Leadership training courses covering the full spectrum from entry-level courses through to postgraduate-equivalent qualifications. Our team of expert tutors work at the forefront of new thinking and practice, and we’re delighted to have been recognised as one of the best CIPD training centres.