What an All Access Pass Covers: HR Education Network Explains How to Use One to Plan HR Recertification

For HR professionals, learning needs change over a career: first preparing for a certification exam, then earning credits to keep that credential active. HR Education Network's All Access Pass is built for that second stage, covering recertification under a single enrollment instead of buying courses one at a time. HR Education Network (HREN), a provider of HR certification test preparation and continuing education, today released a guide explaining what the All Access Pass covers, how to evaluate it and how to use it to plan recertification, including how to choose between on-demand and live formats and confirm that courses count.

What an All Access Pass Is

The All Access Pass is a single enrollment that opens HREN's library of on-demand recertification courses rather than one specific course. It is an individual membership, and it includes:

• Price and term: $499, billed annually, for 12 months of unlimited access.
• Courses: 70 on-demand recertification video courses, with new courses added throughout the year.
• Credit: every course is approved for HRCI and SHRM recertification credit, including Business and Ethics credit courses.
• Focus: recertification only. Exam preparation is not part of the pass.

Using the Pass to Plan Recertification

A pass works best with a plan. Once certified, a professional can map recertification credits across the three-year cycle and draw on included courses steadily rather than searching for courses near the deadline. Candidates still preparing for the PHR or SHRM-CP can find HREN test prep separately at tinyurl.com/HRENTESTPREP.

Start With What the Certifying Bodies Accept

Before comparing formats, it helps to know the framework. HRCI requires 60 recertification credit hours over three years for credentials such as the PHR and SPHR, including at least one ethics-themed activity, and SPHR and SPHRi holders must earn 15 of those hours as business credits. SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP holders earn 60 professional development credits (PDCs) within a three-year cycle across three categories: Advance Your Education, Advance Your Organization and Advance Your Profession.

Formal learning sits at the center of both systems. SHRM lists HR-related courses, books and events among qualifying activities and notes that its Advance Your Education category has no PDC limit. That makes courses the most flexible building block for most professionals, as long as each one is the right kind of course.

On-Demand Learning: Flexibility First

On-demand courses are recorded or self-paced programs available whenever the learner is ready.

Strengths: 

• Fit around unpredictable HR workloads, early mornings and evenings.
• Can be paused, replayed and revisited when a topic becomes relevant at work.
• Make it easy to spread credits evenly across a three-year cycle.

Watch-outs: 

• Self-paced learning requires self-discipline; it is easy to start a course and never finish it.
• There is less opportunity to ask questions in the moment.

On-demand is often the best fit for professionals who want steady progress in small blocks, such as one course a month, and for those working through specific requirements like an HRCI ethics activity on their own timeline.

Live Learning: Interaction and Accountability

Live formats include virtual instructor-led courses, webinars and in-person sessions or conferences.

Strengths: 

• A fixed date creates accountability.
• Participants can ask questions, hear peers' real-world situations and discuss gray areas.
• Live discussions are especially useful for nuanced topics such as employee relations, investigations and leadership.

Watch-outs: 

• Set schedules can conflict with HR emergencies.
• Travel-based events add time and cost.

Live learning is a strong choice for topics where judgment and discussion matter, and for professionals who know they learn better with a calendar commitment.

Blending the Two

Most HR professionals do best with a mix. A practical pattern is to use on-demand courses as the steady backbone of a recertification plan and add live sessions for topics that benefit from interaction or networking. The blend keeps progress moving even during busy seasons while still building connections and perspective.

How to Confirm a Course Will Count

This is the step that saves the most frustration later. Before enrolling, HREN recommends checking the following:

1. Is it pre-approved? Many providers submit programs to HRCI and SHRM in advance. Pre-approved programs typically carry an activity code or program ID that can be entered in the certification portal. HRCI notes that programs pre-approved for business credit have already met that requirement, and SHRM's portal lets certificants enter an activity code when they have one.
2. What credit type does it carry? For HRCI, confirm whether the program is approved for general HR credit, business credit or another specified category. An SPHR or SPHRi holder who needs business credits should look for that designation specifically.
3. How many credits are awarded? Note the credit amount before enrolling so the plan stays accurate.
4. Is it within your cycle? SHRM requires activities to fall between the beginning and end dates of the three-year cycle, and activities can be recorded only after they are completed.
5. Will you receive documentation? A certificate or confirmation that lists the program title, date, provider and credits makes recording simple and supports the record if questions arise.

If a course is not pre-approved, it may still qualify, but the certificant will need to enter the details manually and should check the official criteria at hrci.org or shrm.org first.

Choosing Courses That Build Your Career

Credits that merely check a box are a missed opportunity. When choosing topics, HREN suggests:

• Start with skill gaps. SHRM recommends reviewing the certification exam score report or asking a supervisor which areas need attention.
• Follow what is changing at work. New laws, new technology and new organizational priorities all create learning needs.
• Look one role ahead. Courses in strategy, finance or workforce planning prepare professionals for senior responsibilities, and for SPHR and SPHRi holders, the right ones can also satisfy business-credit requirements.
• Revisit the fundamentals. Refreshers in compliance, compensation or employee relations keep core skills sharp.

Using Your Courses Well

Getting the most from continuing education is also about habits:

• Schedule learning like a meeting. Block a recurring hour on the calendar.
• Take notes you will reuse. Capture one practical change to try at work after each course.
• Log credits immediately. Both HRCI and SHRM encourage recording activities as they are completed.
• Keep everything in one folder. Certificates and program details should be easy to find when it is time to submit.
• Review progress quarterly. A quick check every three months shows whether the plan is on track and whether ethics or specified credits are still outstanding.

Where to Learn More

Official recertification requirements are maintained by HRCI at hrci.org and by SHRM at shrm.org, and HREN encourages professionals to confirm current rules there.

HR Education Network's All Access Pass is $499, billed annually, for 12 months of unlimited access to 70 on-demand recertification courses approved for HRCI and SHRM credit. Professionals can learn more and enroll at catalog.hreducationnetwork.com/group/details/2277. PHR and SHRM-CP test prep is offered separately at tinyurl.com/HRENTESTPREP.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is on-demand learning taken as seriously as live learning? For recertification purposes, the deciding factors are whether the activity qualifies and is properly documented, not whether it was live. Professionals should choose the format that helps them actually learn and finish.

Can one course count for both HRCI and SHRM? Many programs are pre-approved by both organizations. Each body keeps its own record, so professionals holding both credentials should record the activity in each portal using the appropriate code.

What if I am behind in my cycle? Map the remaining credits against the months left, prioritize any ethics or specified credits still required and choose formats that can be completed quickly and reliably. Then commit to a weekly schedule rather than a single marathon.

Do books and work projects count? SHRM lists books and work projects among qualifying activities. HRCI maintains its own criteria for qualifying activities, so HRCI holders should check its guidance before relying on them.

About HR Education Network

HR Education Network (HREN) provides HR certification test preparation and continuing education for human resources professionals. Its programs help candidates prepare for the PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP exams and help certified professionals earn the credits they need to maintain their credentials. HR Education Network is an approved provider for both HRCI and SHRM. Learn more at www.hreducationnetwork.com.

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Tags: All Access Pass, HRCI and SHRM recertification, HR continuing education, on-demand HR courses, HR recertification credits, HRCI pre-approved courses, SHRM PDCs, SPHR business credits, HR professional development, HR Education Network