CertClue
Courses · People & HR
HR Coordinator / HR Generalist

HR Generalist Foundations

Run the people side of a small UK company properly: handle a probation decision, a right to work check, a raised concern and a payroll deadline without getting any of them wrong. Set in the UK, with what changes elsewhere named as it comes up.
1 learner 2.5 hrs taught · 5 to 9 hrs applied 7 modules 26 lessons 5 portfolio artifacts Completion certificate Updated August 2026
Created by the CertClue team
What you'll build

Real portfolio pieces built during the course, not a certificate for its own sake. Each one is work you can show.

  • Probation decision recordOne page on a probation decision: every date including the ones nobody recorded, what the employee was actually told about the standard, which process the dates leave available, what you can support and what you cannot, and who owns the decision.
  • Right to work check recordOne row per starter: the document, what it evidences and what it does not, who carried out the check and on what date, whether the original was seen with the person, what must happen before the start date, and the process change that stops the defect recurring.
  • Concern intake noteThe record of a raised concern: the reporter's own words, your reading kept separate from them, exactly what you promised about confidentiality, the options as they genuinely stand, what you deliberately have not done yet, and what was escalated and why.
  • Payroll change logEvery change requested before a cutoff, what evidence supported it, whether it was entered, and for anything not entered the reason and the consequence for the person being paid. Written so payroll, finance and the employee could each follow it.
  • Return to work planA phased return recorded properly: what the role actually requires, what the fit note advised, what was agreed with the employee, where the agreement differs from the advice and why, the review points, and what happens if the phased return is not working.

What you'll learn

What HR is actually for
Reading the job, and the job post
A day in the HR inbox
The HR year, and the deadlines inside a month
A week at Halloway & Finch
The five records you leave with
Where this goes next

Course content · 7 modules, 26 lessons

Sign up to unlock every lesson - the titles below show exactly what is inside.

The employee lifecycle, the small number of things that must never be got wrong, and why HR sits between the company and the person rather than on either side.

The lifecycle everything hangs off
The short list you cannot get wrong
Whose side HR is on
What confidentiality actually means here

Requirements

  • No prior experience in this field is required to start.
  • A computer with a reliable internet connection.
  • Comfortable using a web browser - no software to install.

Description

Every CertClue course follows the same seven-part shape: fundamentals, the role translated out of job-posting language, a real working day, the job's recurring rhythms, a multi-day simulation, the portfolio you build along the way, and a handoff into your next move. Here is what that looks like for hr coordinator / hr generalist.

Who this course is for

Anyone aiming to become a hr coordinator / hr generalist, including career changers with no background in it yet. This is the entry rung of a realistic ladder:

entry
HR Coordinator / HR Administrator

Runs the records, the checks and the calendar. Owns accuracy: right to work, contracts, payroll changes, probation dates. The role where being trusted with detail is the whole job.

Employee recordsRight to work checksPayroll changesHR calendarConfidentiality
mid
HR Advisor / HR Generalist

Advises managers on the cases the coordinator escalates: probation, absence, conduct, grievance. Judgement moves from following a process to choosing which process applies.

CaseworkManager coachingAbsence managementInvestigationsPolicy interpretation
senior
HR Business Partner

Works with a leadership team on the people consequences of business decisions: restructures, capability, reward, retention. Advises on what the organisation should do, not only on what it may.

Organisation designChange consultationReward strategyEmployee relationsWorkforce planning

Where it leads

This course prepares you for the CIPD Level 3 role or credential path. Named for preparation only - no partnership or endorsement is implied.

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