How to Structure a CIPD Business Case for Your Employer

Professional CIPD qualifications are an incredible asset to your CV, whether you’re just starting out your career in the people profession or you’re a seasoned executive in your industry.

Whatever the case, we know that these qualifications can cost you a few pennies, so we’ve created a blog that’s designed to help you structure a business case for your employer to assist you in gaining their financial support to take on your CIPD qualification and advance your career.

For the sake of versatility, the example we’ve provided below is specific to the CIPD Level 3 Certificate in People Practice (which covers both HR and L&D disciplines) so moving forward you can edit and personalise your business case in a way that suits you and the particular CIPD course you’re interested in studying.

Introduction 

Following my performance review and our discussion related to my development needs for [insert year], I have researched the options available to me both internally and externally, as suggested. 

My research concludes that I should aim to enhance my HR and L&D knowledge and skills through a professional CIPD qualification.

An excellent CIPD qualification is available to aspiring or existing HR/L&D [choose as appropriate] professionals with the established and fully CIPD-approved provider DPG. Not only will this programme enable me to gain new and in-demand HR/L&D skills, but it will ensure that I add strategic value to my role and our organisation and allow me to contribute to driving enhanced business performance.

Why do I need the CIPD Certificate in People Practice? 

The CIPD Level 3 Certificate in People Practice will provide me with a comprehensive foundation in all key areas of HR and L&D, as well as an understanding of both disciplines in a business context. It will help me develop practical, relevant, and strategic skills, and, above all, it will give me the confidence and tact to be more effective in my current and future roles at work.
To add:

• [HR/L&D] is a specialist area and although I have some experience within my role, I now feel I need to look at our HR/L&D from a different viewpoint. I can only gain this through stepping away from our internal environment and benchmarking our efforts against the proven best practice in the field.
• Upon completion, I will be able to evaluate our current efforts and analyse future strategies, ultimately demonstrating added value through return on investment and expectations.
• The Certificate in People Practice is an essential qualification for HR/L&D administrators and officers alike as it ensures we’ll have enhanced consistency and professional standards across the team.
• By studying and successfully achieving the qualification, I will also be able to demonstrate my commitment to achieving a high standard of professionalism and have the skills, knowledge and understanding to maximise my contribution to the HR/L&D function and overall business performance.

The Qualification 

[Here you'll expand on the units for your chosen course] 

I have reviewed the content of the programme in-depth and highlighted the areas that I will be able to put into practice:

1. Business, Culture and Change in Context
2. Principles of Analytics
3. Core Behaviours for People Professionals
4. Essentials of People Practice

For your convenience, I have also included the full unit summaries for the CIPD Level 3 Certificate (see Appendix 1) for your review.

When / Where / Duration 

DPG runs their programmes throughout the year which means I can enrol and begin studying my course at any time. 

*Choose the following based on whether you want to join a 100% online or blended programme with us*

As the programme is 100% online and runs entirely on a flexible learning basis, my time out of the office will be minimal if not entirely non-existent.

OR

As the blended programme runs on a flexible learning basis, I can choose to attend a workshop one day per month, minimising my time out of the office. Alternatively, I can continue my studies from home where I will then required to commit between 6-8 hours of self-study per week, which will be done on my own time outside of working hours. 

All of DPG’s materials are provided online, so I can access them anytime, anywhere and they are included in the total cost of the qualification. To add, by taking on the course, I will immediately become a member of the CIPD, which will provide me with access to a wide range of online and in-person resources, including free specialist CPD events throughout the year. 

The Provider 

As a trusted provider of CIPD qualifications, DPG has been a CIPD Centre for 30 years, focusing exclusively on HR and L&D qualifications. Not only has the CIPD has stated DPG’s CIPD materials as being ‘excellent’, but after recent feedback from their CIPD delegates, 98% of learners said they would recommend their programmes to colleagues and friends.

DPG uses CIPD qualified practitioners to facilitate their highly practical programmes, designed with forward-thinking learning techniques in mind. This ensures that learning takes place in an effective and fun way, meaning the techniques that DPG use will help me to improve our own learning interventions too.

Once you have confirmed that I have the budget approval, I can call or email DPG to reserve my place for the next CIPD programme.

Appendix 1

Unit 1. Business, Culture and Change in Context

This unit considers the impact of external influences and how the digital and commercial environment shapes businesses and the culture within which they operate. It also considers the importance of people’s behaviour on organisational culture and its ability to manage change effectively.

Unit 2. Principles of Analytics 

This unit looks at how people professionals make both straightforward and complex choices as we carry out their roles. It focuses on how utilising a diverse range of analytics and evidence is essential to rationalizing and enhancing working practices and situational decision-making to create value.

Unit 3. Core Behaviours for People Professionals 

This unit introduces the core behaviours for people professionals, focusing on ethical practice to create value. It considers how certain ways of thinking and acting should be universally consistent - even in new and challenging situations - to promote a sense of wellbeing and inclusivity in the organisation.

Unit 4. Essentials of People Practice

This unit introduces the fundamentals of people practice, including:

- The employee lifecycle
- Workplace policies, and
- Regulation and law 

It further explores a diverse array of specialist subjects, such as:

- Recruitment
- Talent management
- Reward management, and
- Learning and development

Every subject is essential to excelling in my career in people practice, but most importantly, this unit enables [HR/L&D] practitioners to apply our knowledge and skills, building on our confidence and ability to practice progressively.

Testimonials from DPG's Website 

To give you more insight into what it’s like to study the CIPD Level 3 Certificate, I’ve included some student testimonials from DPG’s website:

“It is a fully comprehensive CIPD learning experience. I think the blended approach works really well and that the workshop timings (one per month) are about right. The standard of facilitation and feedback has been consistently high.”
– DPG CIPD Student

“I think the CIPD programme content is excellent on the whole, and as a newcomer, the training is providing a massive help. The range of methods used to deliver the material is also helpful.”
– Stuart Applewhite, Lease Direct Finance

“I feel the course has helped me on a number of levels, both professionally and personally. With DPG, you create your own learning environment through the framework, and everyone has the opportunity to excel.”
– Tina Dooling, HR Administrator

“The CIPD programme supplied me with good knowledge on what training is and how it should be designed. It was very useful and it provided me with the confidence, the skills and the knowledge needed to become professional in what I do”.
– Andrew Brazier, Schering-Plough

You can view their full range of CIPD programmes to find out more information on individual courses.


We hope this blog has helped you better understand how to structure a CIPD business case for your employer - we wish you the best of luck! 

If you need any further information or assistance in completing your business case we’d be happy to help! Contact our CIPD team on 0330 660 0220 or cipd@dpglearn.co.uk.