Level Up Your HR Skills with a Certification Prep Course

Enroll in 10-week course by Aug. 29 to prepare for SHRM certification exam

Two SHRM logos

Upon passing the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) certification exam in May, Javon Beatty’s thoughts turned to the people who helped him do it.

For the past six years, Beatty has worked as a Financial Performance and Quality Analyst on Duke Human Resources’ Workers Compensation team.

Wanting to better understand how his role fits into the broader HR landscape at Duke, he set his sights on earning the SHRM certification.

To prepare, he joined Duke Learning & Organization’s SHRM Certification Exam Prep Course, where he and a cohort of colleagues supported each other through the process.

Workers Compensation Financial Performance and Quality Analyst Javon Beatty

“I don’t think I could have done this on my own,” said Beatty, who has worked at Duke for 18 years. “This class helped me feel empowered and ready. I finished it with a strong sense of accomplishment and felt like I was prepared for success.”

With nearly 340,000 members, SHRM serves as a career development and networking resource for human resources professionals.

To demonstrate their deep understanding of practices and policies, human resources professionals can earn a certification through SHRM by passing a comprehensive 135-question exam.

After offering the SHRM certification exam preparation course for the first time in the spring, Duke Learning & Organization Development (L&OD), a division of Duke Human Resources, is offering the course again this fall.

After a virtual kickoff event in September, the 10-session course will run from Oct. 2 to Dec. 11 and feature weekly in-person classes from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Thursdays.

The deadline to enroll is Aug. 29.

The course is open to any Duke employees but is particularly beneficial to those that work in human resources roles or have job responsibilities related to HR functions.

Duke Human Vaccine Institute Human Resources Representative Jordan Liggins

"The course is beneficial to anyone who is interested in gaining a deeper understanding of HR fundamentals, such as talent recruitment, onboarding and development." said Shannon Ashford, L&OD’s Associate Director for Organization and Workforce Development.

The course fee includes a voucher to cover the cost of one SHRM Certified Professional or SHRM Senior Certified Professional certification exam.

The course builds on the SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge, covering eight core HR areas such as communication, cultural effectiveness, business acumen and more.

The course also aligns with the SHRM Learning System, which participants study independently between sessions. Class sessions include review and practice questions on exam topics.

“It was rigorous but also rewarding,” said Jordan Liggins, Duke Human Vaccine Institute Human Resources Representative and, who passed the SHRM certification exam in May. “There was a lot of reading and studying on your own, but you also had the classes where you come together, see how much you’ve learned and help each other stay on track.”

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