Tier 1 · Foundation
CHCA
Certified Human Capital Associate
Where the profession begins.
A structured foundation in how human capital drives organizational performance — productivity, talent flow, employee experience, and data-informed decisions.
The Specification
What the qualification requires.
Syllabus units
From the CHCA Qualification SpecificationAll 10 units are mandatory — there are no optional pathways. Full learning outcomes and assessment criteria are set out in the CHCA Qualification Specification, available from GHCA on request.
- 01Human Capital Thinking
- 02Human Capital and Business Performance
- 03Workforce Productivity Fundamentals
- 04Workforce Performance
- 05Talent Entry into Organizations
- 06Workforce Movement and Talent Flow
- 07Employee Experience Fundamentals
- 08Employee Motivation and Retention
- 09Human Capital Data and Reporting
- 10Human Capital Development
Who it is for
Is this the right level?
Entry requirements are a floor, not a filter — if you meet them and the description below sounds like your work, this is your level.
- Early-career HR and people practitioners
- Career changers entering the profession
- Administrators and coordinators formalizing existing experience
- Line managers who own people outcomes without an HR title
How you are assessed
You pass by meeting a fixed, published standard — never by outperforming other candidates in your sitting.
Identity verification, a monitored session, and a result that cannot be changed without a record of who changed it and when.
Reasonable adjustments change how you access the assessment, never what is assessed. Requests open 15 working days before a sitting.
The credential is valid for 3 years. To keep it you either record continuing professional development across the cycle and submit the evidence, or sit the current version of the examination again on the same terms as a first attempt.
A result, a malpractice finding or an adjustment decision can all be challenged — free at the first stage. How appeals and complaints work.
Fees
What it costs.
Registration, exam sitting, and one certificate on pass. Fees are published in the GHCA Fee Schedule and are payable in advance of the service they relate to. Training is delivered and priced separately by Authorized Training Providers.
The Framework
Where CHCA sits.
Start with CHCA.
Registration runs through an Authorized Training Provider, or directly with GHCA. Tell us which and we will point you to the right route.