Free Course for HR Professionals: People Professionals and Artificial Intelligence
We have just launched a brand new free module for our apprentices and CIPD students: People Professionals and Artificial Intelligence.
Available now on our learning management system, this course has been developed specifically for HR practitioners — covering everything from what AI actually is, to how to use it responsibly in a people practice context. With 45 dedicated explainer videos and structured learning content across three learning outcomes, it is one of the most comprehensive free resources on AI available to HR and people management students in the UK.
What Is the People Professionals and Artificial Intelligence Course?
People Professionals and Artificial Intelligence is a free complementary module designed to give HR practitioners the knowledge and confidence to understand, evaluate, and use AI in their roles.
The course is structured around three learning outcomes:
| Learning Outcome | Focus |
|---|---|
| LO1 | Understand AI and its application in people practice |
| LO2 | Understand the ethical, legal, and people implications of AI in HR |
| LO3 | Understand how people professionals can use AI responsibly and effectively |
It is not a technology course. It is a people practice course — grounded in HR context, built for practitioners, and delivered through our award-winning LMS.
What You Will Learn
LO1: AI and Its Application in People Practice
The first learning outcome builds your foundational understanding of what AI actually is — cutting through the hype to explain the real differences between automation, machine learning, and generative AI.
1.1 — What is AI in a workplace context?
You will learn the key distinctions between rule-based automation and true artificial intelligence, the types of AI most relevant to HR (including generative AI such as ChatGPT, predictive analytics, and natural language processing), and the key terminology every people professional should understand: algorithms, data training, prompts, and models.
Critically, you will also learn what AI cannot do — including the limitations created by data quality and the fact that AI systems are not "thinking" in any meaningful sense.
1.2 — How is AI used in HR?
From CV screening tools and candidate matching in recruitment, to chatbots for onboarding, AI-driven learning recommendations, sentiment analysis for performance management, and automated document drafting for policies and letters — this section maps the full HR lifecycle against current AI applications, including the benefits and risks in each area.
1.3 — What are the benefits of AI for organisations, employees, and HR professionals?
This section explores the practical case for AI in people practice: efficiency and cost savings for organisations, reduced admin burden and improved strategic focus for HR teams, and faster, more personalised experiences for employees. It also introduces the risks of over-reliance — setting up the deeper ethical discussion in LO2.
LO2: Ethical, Legal, and People Implications of AI in HR
This is where the course moves beyond awareness into critical thinking — exploring the real-world implications of AI adoption that every people professional needs to understand.
2.1 — Ethical considerations: bias, transparency, and fairness
Algorithmic bias is one of the most significant risks in AI-assisted HR. This section explains how bias enters AI systems through training data and design decisions, how it can lead to discriminatory outcomes affecting protected characteristics, and what the principles of fairness, accountability, and transparency mean in practice. Real-world examples of AI misuse in HR are included.
2.2 — Legal and regulatory considerations
People professionals have legal responsibilities when AI is involved in decisions about employees or candidates. This section covers:
- UK GDPR — lawful basis for processing data, data minimisation, and purpose limitation
- Automated decision-making — the rights individuals have, including the right to human review
- Equality legislation — the risk of indirect discrimination through AI tools
- Emerging AI regulation — a high-level awareness of the direction of travel in UK and EU policy
The emphasis throughout is on the organisational responsibilities HR teams hold — including documentation, audit trails, and the importance of human oversight.
2.3 — The impact of AI on jobs, skills, and the employee experience
This section tackles one of the most pressing questions in HR today: what does AI mean for jobs and the people in them? Topics include job redesign as routine tasks are automated, the shift towards strategic and advisory HR roles, the skills implications (digital literacy, prompt writing, data interpretation), and the change management challenges of AI adoption — including resistance, fear of job loss, and the role of HR in supporting reskilling.
LO3: Using AI Responsibly and Effectively
The final learning outcome is practical — focused on helping people professionals actually use AI tools well, rather than just understand them in theory.
3.1 — How HR practitioners can use AI tools to support their work
This section covers real, practical use cases: drafting policies, letters, and job descriptions; creating training materials; analysing survey and feedback data; and supporting employee communications. It introduces the basics of prompt writing — how to give AI tools clear instructions, context, and tone — and the principle of using AI as a co-pilot, not a decision-maker.
3.2 — Risks and limitations of AI tools in people practice
Practical use comes with practical risks. This section addresses AI hallucinations and accuracy issues, the dangers of inputting sensitive employee data into AI tools, over-reliance on AI at the expense of professional judgement, and reputational risks from poor or inappropriate outputs.
3.3 — Implementing AI responsibly in people practice
The final section looks at how organisations can introduce AI in a controlled, ethical way — covering AI governance policies, risk management frameworks, human-in-the-loop review processes, data protection controls, capability building for HR teams, and how to monitor and audit AI outputs over time. Practical examples from recruitment and L&D are included.
Who Can Access This Course?
People Professionals and Artificial Intelligence is available free of charge to all VQ Solutions learners studying on the following programmes:
- HR Support Apprenticeship (Level 3)
- People Professional Apprenticeship (Level 5)
- CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice (commercial)
- CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management (commercial)
The course sits within our growing library of complementary professional development modules — additional resources we provide because we believe in developing well-rounded people professionals, not just qualified ones.
Why AI Skills Matter for People Professionals Right Now
AI is no longer a future consideration for HR teams — it is already being used across recruitment, onboarding, learning, and employee relations. Organisations are adopting AI tools at pace, and people professionals are increasingly expected to:
- Advise their organisations on responsible AI adoption
- Understand the legal and ethical implications of AI-assisted decisions
- Use AI tools effectively in their own day-to-day work
- Support employees through the change that AI brings
Yet most HR qualifications — including CIPD programmes — do not yet have AI built into their core curriculum in a structured, practical way. This course fills that gap.
45 Explainer Videos — Built for People Practitioners
Every learning outcome and assessment criteria in this course has dedicated explainer video content — 45 videos in total, produced specifically for a people practice audience. These are not generic technology videos. They are built to the same standard as our CIPD unit videos, with the same focus on making complex concepts clear and applicable to real HR situations.
Explore Our CIPD Programmes
If you are not yet studying with VQ Solutions, this course is included as part of our CIPD and apprenticeship programmes. Whether you are looking to start your HR career, gain CIPD membership, or develop your team, we have a programme that fits.
- CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice
- CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management
- HR Support Apprenticeship (Level 3)
- People Professional Apprenticeship (Level 5)
Or get in touch to find out which programme is right for you.
VQ Solutions is an Ofsted-rated 'Good' training provider and CIPD-accredited centre. Our complementary professional development library — including People Professionals and Artificial Intelligence — is available free of charge to all apprentices and CIPD students studying with us.
