Agile HR is important in an agile company, as processes such as onboarding, recruitment and development can be made more efficient and innovative. Agile HR methods are based on the strong involvement and personal responsibility of employees and teams and a shared focus on the business objective.

Continuing education, Higher Education in Human Resources (HR Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education) is a part-time course that allows you to continue working, albeit often at a slightly reduced pace. Please enquire about this directly with the relevant school using the contact form. Depending on the chosen educational institute and model, the duration of the course varies between two and three years.

During continuing education, further training to become a Head of Human Resources, participants gain basic knowledge of socio-political issues, economic issues and finance, corporate functions and marketing, as well as in-depth knowledge of corporate strategy, HR strategy, HR policy, the management and organization of HR departments, HR processes and HR tools, international HR management, leadership, organizational development and internal and external relationships. Communication, cooperation, presentation, problem-solving methods and project planning methods are also topics of HR training.

Federally recognized continuing education courses in Human Resources include the FPE HR Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education, the AFPE in HR Management, Master's degree courses and recognized postgraduate studies CHE.

A postgraduate degree course leading to a Federal Diploma of Higher Education (CHE) in Human Resources Management is recommended for people who already have several years of qualified professional experience in the field of HR as well as a higher qualification, such as a Federal Diploma of Higher Education, a Federal Diploma or a university degree. It is aimed at business partners who are the direct contact persons for employees and managers as well as those responsible for a sub-division or area of HR in the company.

Agile HR management is an important topic for HR professionals who want to establish a dynamic and agile structure in the HR department in an agile organization. Several years of experience in the field of human resources is recommended to ensure a comprehensive understanding.

The choice of training - Human Resources Professional Examination, Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE) or University of Applied Sciences - depends on the desired scope of training and the admission requirements:

• Federal Professional Examination: HR Specialist with Federal Diploma of Higher Education
  The practice-oriented Federal Professional Examination has the advantage that you have a good chance of taking on a management position in human resources. In most cases, regardless of previous education, you will have to complete a course as a human resources assistant recognized by the association. This should be clarified.
• Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE): Head of HR with a federal diploma
  The Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE) is also practice-oriented. It is geared towards the strategic management of HR. This means taking responsibility for personnel planning and development. HR managers generally work closely with the executive board on strategic orientation.
• College of Higher Education: NDS-CHE Human Resources Manager
  As a qualified HR manager with postgraduate studies CHE, you are a competent point of contact for management in your specialist area and continuously develop HR management at a strategic and operational level.
• University of Applied Sciences - e.g. CAS Change Management or MAS Human Resource Management
  In the CAS Change Management, managers and specialists learn together how to deal professionally with change and how to help shape, support and/or manage it.

The continuing education master's degree is a master's program for holistic human resource management at universities of applied sciences. It is made up of various CAS modules. It would be important to attend an information event to find out more.

The content of the Master's degree program in Human Resources at the University of St. Gallen consists of five modules:

• Overview module
• Employment law (working hours, mass dismissal, mobbing, drafting contracts and regulations, data protection, non-competition clause, continued payment of wages, public personnel law, ...)
• Insurance around companies (AHV, insurance benefits in the event of illness and accident, insurance law issues in the event of company sales, financing, benefits, disability, ...)
• Communication and difficult conversations (shaping communication, conveying difficult content, stumbling blocks, understanding roles, conflicts, ...)
• Case Studies

In order to acquire comprehensive skills for agile HR, it is worth taking a further training course such as the CAS Leading HR (flex). In this approximately 10-day course, participants learn...
...to work out current trends and issues in HR and find ways to solve them.
...a comprehensive understanding of agility in the organization.
...get to know flexible and dynamic models.
...to understand psychological decision-making processes.

The certificate examination in Human Resources for Personnel Assistants is divided into five examination parts:

• 1. fundamentals of human resources management
• 2. personnel administration
• 3. payroll administration
• 4. principles of labor law
• 5. other areas

All parts of the exam take a total of three hours, which are completed in writing and online. Parts 2 and 3 are given the highest weighting of 30 percent each. Exam part 4 has a weighting of 20 percent and parts 1 and 5 each have a weighting of 10 percent.

The first step towards agile HR is to shift the focus from HR itself to the business itself. The inclusion of employees, the transfer of competencies such as recruiting and training to teams and employees under the supervision of HR as well as ongoing adjustments in line with the current business environment and objectives. The CAS Leading HR (flex) FH offers a good opportunity for HR professionals to learn this, for example.