The ICS are a very credible organization, but not the place to turn if you're interested in pursuing a career in HR.

Your company should already have an L&D policy if it's of substantial size, which should tell you what your options are for access to funding for personal and professional development. You should find and read this in detail, do some homework on your options (a Level 5 CIPD qualification is probably a good first step for someone with management experience looking to transition to HR) and then discuss it with your immediate line manager.

Alternatively, and depending on your financial situation, you may like to look at a step downwards and sideways into an entry-level HR administrator role. Whilst this may be painful in the short term, it will give you exposure to HR practice that, combined with your management experience, will give you the foot in the door to move rapidly into an HR advisor role. From there, the pathways then open up towards HR management, HR specialism, consulting or business partnership depending on how you feel drawn.

Laura welcome to the communities

Your best and probably quickest/easiest route into HR would be an internal move in your own company. First by working on people projects and then by a full move. You are a known quantity to them and I think this would be best chance.

If you use the search facilities there are a number of similar threads (actually very similar including retail managers) with varying degrees of success/frustration.

Good luck

(PS ICS do very reputable HR courses accredited by the CIPD so would be interested in understanding Robeys aversion to them) 

In reply to Keith:

Do they? I take it back, then. It's been a few years since my association with them. Everything else still applies.