Employment Law Courses

Work towards success with a course in Employment Law

While a qualification in Employment Law does not make you a solicitor, having a sound knowledge of employment law is extremely important. Many workplace jobs require that you are well informed as to the finer points of the law. This is particularly true of management and HR positions, which require employees to resolve workplace disputes.

Of course, if you have previously qualified as a solicitor or legal professional, and you would like to formally specialise in employment law, then taking a course is a great way to increase your knowledge of one of the most common points of legal dispute.

What is employment law?

Simply put, employment law is the set of rules and regulations that governs what goes on in the workplace. This can be related to hiring and firing, preventing workers from being wrongfully dismissed or helping companies remove problematic employees from their books. It can deal with disputes between individuals and collection workers unions. It can also form a small part of everyday duties or be a dedicated job role in its own right.

Since Ireland is a part of the European Union, much of its employment law and worker protections are rooted in European Law. Other aspects of Irish employment law are uniquely Irish and are often unrelated to their counterparts in Northern Ireland, which form a part of British Employment Law (although as Britain remains a part of the EU for the foreseeable future, much of the central European law remains the same).

What will I learn on a course?

Courses designed for legal professionals looking to specialise are often much more in depth than the courses designed for HR professionals. However, there are common elements to both as the job roles require a certain amount of shared knowledge. On an employment law course, you can expect to learn:

• Employment Terms – Understanding how to clearly lay out the terms of employment to workers before they sign a contract of employment is an important part. While at HR level, contracts will normally (but not exclusively) be drafted by legal professionals, it is still important that HR representatives understand the content of these contracts, so they can help to resolve dispute when workers or companies are found to be in breach of the contract. For legal professionals, this will often be covered in greater depth, with reference to relevant European Statutes that govern the rights of workers.
• Minimum Wage – As the minimum wage in Ireland is set to €9.55 per hour, it is important that legal representatives understand that this is a minimum. Companies that are found to be in breach of this will be penalised. Learning to set fair terms of employment is vital.
• Health and Safety – This forms an enormous part of workplace law. This is one area of the law that mostly falls to the company to enforce, as they are expected to provide safe and proper working conditions for staff – although in some business,such as catering and the medical field, ensuring that staff follow health and safety standards to prevent illness amongst clientele, also falls to HR to manage and effective enforce.

What can I expect to do when I finish?

After successfully completing a course in employment law, graduates can look forward to working in either HR or a legal profession. While these two jobs often require further qualification in order to start, demonstrating a profound understanding of the law is vital. Showing employers that you understand the ins and outs of employment law will provide you with a fantastic edge during the hiring process.