Advanced Diploma in Employee Relations

Course Overview

The Advanced Diploma in Employee Relations at the London School of International Business and Management (LSIBM) is a Level 5 senior-track qualification inside the Human Resources & Leadership faculty. Across 12 to 15 months it takes ER advisers, senior HR business partners and union-facing employer leads from working practitioner competence into ER leadership — collective bargaining, restructure planning, settlement strategy and tribunal advocacy support, framed by the CIPD Profession Map and the current UK employment-rights reform agenda.

Study is on-campus in central London, fully online, or by distance learning. Content is designed around the CIPD Advanced Diploma in Strategic People Management, the ACAS Code of Practice and Chartered Institute of Arbitrators practitioner material. The capstone is a restructure case — collective consultation, settlement pack, tribunal-facing chronology — defended in front of a working head of ER. Students leave with a practitioner artefact that survives real leadership review.

Key Features

• Designed around the CIPD Advanced Diploma in Strategic People Management, the ACAS Code and CIArb practitioner material.
• Three study modes — central London campus, fully online, or distance learning.
• Restructure-case capstone defended in front of a working head of ER.
• Collective-consultation workshop using UK trade-union recognition and TUPE cases.
• Tribunal-preparation module using published UK ET decisions.
• Structured route toward CIPD Chartered Membership, with tutor coaching on the assessment.
• Portfolio-plus-oral assessment combining the case with a live consultation-simulation exercise.
• Direct progression onto the LSIBM Higher Diploma in Employee Relations or a UK Bachelor’s top-up.

What You Will Learn

The advanced diploma is anchored around what a head of ER or senior ER lead actually delivers — a collective consultation that closes cleanly, a settlement strategy that lands, a tribunal file that survives challenge, a Monday morning that starts with fewer emergencies than the last one. You will finish able to lead ER programmes end-to-end.

• Collective bargaining and trade-union recognition.
• Collective consultation — S188 TULRCA and ACAS Code interaction.
• Restructure planning — selection, pooling, redundancy, redeployment.
• TUPE at senior level for UK mid-market and PLC employers.
• Settlement strategy — without-prejudice, protected conversations, agreements.
• Tribunal advocacy support — chronology, bundles, witness prep.
• Mediation at working practitioner level.
• Whistleblowing and Public Interest Disclosure Act at senior level.
• Applying the CIPD Profession Map behaviours to ER programme leadership.
• Data protection and record-keeping under UK GDPR at senior level.
• Writing a restructure programme brief a leadership team will sign off.

Who This Course Is For

• ER advisers stepping into head-of-ER responsibility.
• Senior HR business partners taking on restructure and collective work.
• Union-facing employer leads at UK PLC and mid-market employers.
• In-house legal-ops professionals supporting an ER function.
• External consultants specialising in UK employee relations.

Career Pathways

Graduates typically move into head-of-ER, senior-HR-business-partner and restructure-lead roles across UK PLC, mid-market and public-sector employers. The advanced diploma supports strong applications but does not by itself guarantee an offer — a defended restructure case is often the interview artefact. Typical destinations include:

• Head of Employee Relations (small to mid employer)
• Senior Employee Relations Adviser
• ER Case Manager (senior)
• Trade Union Liaison Lead
• Restructure Programme Manager
• ER Consultant
• People Director (small employer)

The Advanced Diploma in Employee Relations is the natural step onto the LSIBM Higher Diploma in Employee Relations and CIPD Chartered Membership. Graduates commonly progress toward CIPD Chartered Fellow status within three to five years of practice.

Entry Requirements

• A relevant Diploma (Level 4), Foundation Year, or two years of substantive professional HR / ER experience.
• GCSE English Language at grade 4/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C (or equivalent).
• IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
• A short statement of intent and one academic or professional reference — applicants with a professional-body membership (AAT, CIPD Foundation, CIM Associate, CMI Level 3) should mention it on application.

Why Study at LSIBM

The London School of International Business and Management (LSIBM) is a specialist business-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. Advanced Diploma cohorts sit in small groups so tutors track progress course by course, and every route is mapped to UK professional-body competencies — ACCA, CIMA, CIM, CIPD, CMI, CIPS, IOE&IT, CFA UK — so employers recognise the credential.

London puts the City, Canary Wharf, Whitehall, Companies House, the FCA, the Bank of England and the West End within a short tube ride of every classroom. Advanced Diploma students access a fortnightly practitioner clinic, an industry-careers day each cohort and structured application coaching in the final term.

Apply for the Advanced Diploma in Employee Relations

Step up into the senior track with the Advanced Diploma in Employee Relations. Click Enrol Now and our admissions team will respond within one working day with intake dates, credit-transfer guidance and current fees. Advanced Diploma graduates articulate directly into LSIBM Higher Diploma or Bachelor's top-up routes.