Human resource personnel and other managers can earn a certificate in professional HR management from the Society of Human Resource Management’s learning system course this fall.

The 12-week class will meet each Monday from 6-9 p.m. at the Coastal Georgia Center in Savannah. Due to the Labor Day holiday, the first class session will be held on a Tuesday.

Georgia Southern University’s Continuing Education Center offers the course in cooperation with SHRM. HR personnel with two or more years of exempt-level experience use the course to prepare for two national certification exams — the professional in human resources or senior professional in human resources — both administered by the HR Certification Institute.

Studies show that participants in this course have a higher pass rate when taking the SHRM certification exam than those who took the PHR or SPHR exam without taking the SHRM learning system course.

Prerequisites for the PHR and SPHR exam will change in 2011, so potential exam-takers are encouraged to register for this fall’s course in advance of the change.

Small business owners and managers, individuals entering HR, and those seeking a career change are also welcome to take the class, which provides an overview of the entire HR body of knowledge, including strategic management, workforce planning and employment, human resources development, total rewards, employee and labor relations and risk management.

Cost for instruction and course materials is $925 for SHRM members and $975 for nonmembers, so long as they register before 5 p.m., Aug. 20.

Registration closes at noon, Friday, Aug. 27 so all participants can attend the mandatory one-hour orientation Aug. 30.
For more details, e-mail seminars@georgiasouthern.edu, or to register, call 912-478-5551 or go to http://ceps.georgiasouthern.edu/conted/HRcertificate.html.