HR Fundamentals (FutureLearn)

HR Fundamentals (FutureLearn)

Get an introduction to the practice of HR, and develop the skills you need to become an HR professional. HR professionals look after the greatest creators of value (and risk) in organisations: their people. On this course, you’ll get an introduction to the practice of HR, and develop skills you need as an HR professional.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

You’ll learn how HR helps organisations achieve business goals and strategic objectives.
You’ll explore the basic principles of workforce planning, employee recruitment and retention.
Finally, you’ll find out about performance management, and how to support people in achieving goals.

What topics will you cover?

  • Why HR matters
  • HR Professionalism in practice
  • Enabling an organisation’s strategy through HR
  • Data, and how to use it effectively
  • Workforce planning, recruitment and retention
  • Workforce engagement and managing performance

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Describe HR Professionalism and demonstrate an understanding of its importance to people and organisations
  • Apply basic principles of workforce planning, including recruitment and retention
  • Demonstrate understanding of performance management and how to get the best out of people
  • Describe the role of HR in supporting an organisation in meeting its strategy and objectives
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Modern Empowerment in the Workplace (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
The Open University,The Open University Business School

Modern Empowerment in the Workplace (FutureLearn)

The 21st century is transforming the workplace. Explore the role of human resources (HR) in this modern empowerment era. The 21st century has seen a transformation of work and the workplace. The negative aspects of this change often get most attention – from job insecurity to diminished labour rights. But it is a time of possibility, people can work anytime, anywhere, achieving flexibility and work-life balance. This is a potentially exciting future for empowerment at work.

No sessions available
4 Weeks
Two Speed IT: How Companies Can Surf the Digital Wave, a BCG Perspective (Coursera) Coursera
CentraleSupélec

Two Speed IT: How Companies Can Surf the Digital Wave, a BCG Perspective (Coursera)

Transform or disappear, the Darwinism of IT: In order to adapt to a digital world, a two-speed IT is needed. Despite the importance of IT in today’s digital world, Chief Information Officers (CIOs) often struggle to get their voices heard by executive committees. Faced with this challenge, IT departments are being forced to reinvent themselves to adapt their companies to the fast paced evolution of technology. The Boston Consulting Group has developed a business approach that allows IT to shed off its appearance of a heavy cost center and to adopt a new, more realistic persona as a quality service provider, partnering with users and the management.

Oct 19th 2026
5-12 Weeks
The Future of Work: Preparing for Disruption (edX) EdX
World Bank Group,WBGx

The Future of Work: Preparing for Disruption (edX)

Only MOOC to explore the 2019 World Development Report (WDR) and workforce of the future. Learn how A.I., automation, advanced technologies and new businesses are changing the world. Workers of the future will need new sets of skills to compete. Recent advances in technology are changing how we live, communicate and do business, disrupting traditional industries and redefining the employee-employer relationship.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Future-proofing the Health Workforce (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Griffith University

Future-proofing the Health Workforce (FutureLearn)

Find out how to meet the challenges and opportunities that face tomorrow’s healthcare workforce. Learn how to help build a more resilient, more effective healthcare workforce. The health workforce is a critical building block in a strong healthcare system, but skills shortages are a problem across the world, particularly in rural and remote areas. So, how do we keep the health workforce current, motivated and properly distributed?

Available now
2 Weeks
Making the Case for Robotic Process Automation (Coursera) Coursera
Association of International Certified Professional Accountants - AICPA

Making the Case for Robotic Process Automation (Coursera)

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is reshaping the accounting and finance profession. 40% of transactional accounting work is expected to be automated by 2020 and predicted to touch 230 million knowledge workers, 9% of the global workforce, according to McKinsey Research. Driven by the need to stay competitive, decrease costs and increase efficiency, RPA is quickly making a significant impact on the profession. Companies no longer think about "if" but "when" to implement RPA.

Nov 2nd 2026
2 Weeks
Engineering Project Management: Risk, Quality, Teams, and Procurement (Coursera) Coursera
Rice University

Engineering Project Management: Risk, Quality, Teams, and Procurement (Coursera)

Many Project Managers focus only on the scope, schedule and budget. However, a successful project requires that you manage risk, control the quality of the deliverables, engage and manage people and procure goods and services. This course will focus on these key support functions that make the difference between a highly successful project and an average one. During the course, you will prepare a Qualitative Risk Analysis and Evaluate the Cost of Quality for a provided Case Study.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Organisational behaviour: Know your people (Coursera) Coursera
Macquarie University

Organisational behaviour: Know your people (Coursera)

Organisations have changed and now, more than ever, personnel management is crucial to organisational success. In this course you’ll explore a range of concepts, theories and methodologies that will help you navigate and optimise your work environment. Via structured learning activities (video lectures, quizzes, discussion prompts and written assessments) you will be exposed to the latest best-practice leadership strategies to enable your employees to achieve more at work.

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Hiring Practices (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

Hiring Practices (Coursera)

Welcome to Hiring Practices. In this course, you will learn how to develop a strategic plan to attract, recruit and retain employees at every level, from those just entering the workforce through those at the executive level. We will explore each step of the recruitment, selection, and onboarding process, providing a thorough explanation of the uniqueness of the step and its fit and importance within the entire talent lifecycle. Special attention is paid to diversity and inclusion as it relates to each of these steps and how we can successfully harness these most valued practices.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Generative AI in HR - Impact and Application of Gen AI (Coursera) Coursera
Board Infinity

Generative AI in HR - Impact and Application of Gen AI (Coursera)

"Generative AI in HR - Impact and Application of Gen AI HR Tools" is a comprehensive course designed to explore the transformative role of generative AI in human resources. Across two modules, this course covers the fundamentals of generative AI, its applications in HR, and the broader implications for the future. It delves into practical uses in recruitment, employee engagement, and training, as well as critical discussions on ethics, bias, and privacy. Emerging trends and predictive analytics are also explored, preparing HR professionals for the evolving landscape of AI in the workplace.

Oct 26th 2026
2 Weeks
Managing Social and Human Capital (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Managing Social and Human Capital (Coursera)

Based on their popular course at Wharton, this course will teach you how to motivate individual performance and design reward systems, how to design jobs and organize work for high performance, how to make good and timely management decisions, and how to design and change the your organization’s architecture. By the end of this course, you'll have developed the skills you need to start motivating, organizing, and rewarding people in your organization so that you can thrive as a business and as a social organization.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks