Empower HR professionals to make a strategic and operational impact across their organisations. This programme develops a deep understanding of the connections between organisational structure, strategy, and the operating environment — ensuring HR teams can better support business goals through effective people practices. With world-class academic leadership and expert coaching, learners build the evidence-based decision-making, workforce planning, and stakeholder engagement skills needed to foster inclusive workplaces and drive positive organisational culture.
People Professional Diploma (Level 5)
Equip HR professionals with the skills needed to excel in people management and drive organisational success with the market-leading programme. In partnership with Corndel and recognised by CIPD.
Course key facts
Duration
16 months + 3 months assessment
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Credits
Credit bearing
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Format
Online
Fee
On request
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Location
Online
Overview
Learning journey
- Duration: 16 months + 3 months EPA
- Delivery: Workshops + hands-on projects, professional coaching, Imperial masterclasses
- Who it's for: HR professionals ready to advance their careers — from Administrators, Advisers and Officers, to HR, DEI or Employee Experience Managers, Consultants, Business Partners and Specialists
- Delivered in collaboration with Corndel and recognised by CIPD
- Facilitators: Experts in people management and behaviour change who guide learners to apply HR practice in real-world business contexts
- Qualifications: People Professional Level 5 Apprenticeship and a CIPD Associate Diploma in People Management with CIPD membership
FAQs
The Apprenticeship Levy is a UK government initiative, introduced in April 2017, to encourage businesses to invest in their employees with apprenticeship training. Employers with an annual payroll of over £3 million are required to contribute 0.5% of their total income into the levy. These funds can then be used to cover the costs of apprenticeship training within their organisation.
Specific requirements vary depending on the apprenticeship level and field. This may require GCSEs in Maths and English, usually at grade 4 (C) or above. If you don’t have these qualifications, you may need to take additional courses in Maths and English as part of your apprenticeship to meet the required standards.
To enrol you need to fit the following requirements:
- Anyone aged 16 or over
- Not in full-time education
- Must live in England
Our approach at Imperial operates on a business-to-business (B2B) model, where we collaborate directly with HR teams to enrol cohorts of 20+ learners at a time. This approach ensures that organisations have approved the use of levy funds and benefit from the collective learning experience of larger groups. As a result, we do not accept individual applications.
If your levy funds are depleted and you wish to continue enrolling employees in apprenticeship programmes, you will need to co-invest in the training. Typically, your business will pay 5% of the training costs, while the government will cover the remaining 95%. This co-investment ensures that your training needs are met even after your levy funds are used up.
What happens if we don't use all of our Apprenticeship Levy funds?
Levy funds that remain unused will expire 24 months after they are deposited into your account. These funds are then returned to the government and cannot be recovered, so it's important to plan your apprenticeship programmes effectively to maximize the use of your available funds.
Yes, you can transfer up to 25% of your annual levy funds to other employers, such as smaller businesses within your supply chain, or even to charitable organisations. This allows you to support the broader development of skills within your industry or community.
Contact us
If your organisation or department is interested in enrolling a cohort of learners, please get in touch.
Suzanne Green
Project Manager Executive Education Apprenticeship Levy
- Phone: +44 (0)20 7594 3236
- Email: s.m.green@imperial.ac.uk
