The goal of the Practical Payroll Course is to provide participants with practical knowledge and skills related to planning, calculating, and managing payroll systems.

Participants will learn the full payroll cycle — from incoming documentation to final settlement. They will study how to structure salary components and apply relevant legal requirements in payroll management.

During the course, participants will create a customized Payroll file in Excel, tailored to their specific needs and based on automated calculations. This file will also be used throughout the course for practical assignments and real-case exercises.

• Manage the full Payroll cycle — from collecting documentation to preparing payroll reports

• Distinguish and accurately calculate key salary components: fixed salary, allowances, overtime, bonuses, vacation, and sick leave

• Understand the fundamental principles of labor and tax legislation that affect payroll calculations

• Create a Payroll file in Excel and use key formulas such as IF, ROUND, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, and PivotTable

• Perform automated calculations and consolidate data within multi-file payroll models

• Prepare payroll reports and summaries for management or audit purposes

• Handle complex payroll cases such as contractors, part-time employment, employee termination, and final settlements

Lela Kekua

• HR and Professional Development expert with 15 years of experience.
• Her HR career began at Caucasus Online as a Recruitment Manager. She later worked at ICR as a Training and Career Development Manager.
• After 8 years of experience in the service sector, she led the HR Department at Georgian Railway, one of the largest employers in Georgia. During this time, she supervised a vocational education project in collaboration with the Railway Transport College.
• She has also worked as an HR Management Consultant at Adjara Group.
• Currently, Lela represents the Georgian office of the international company IBA Group.
• She is passionate about continuous professional development and sharing practical knowledge that helps students grow professionally and overcome career challenges.

Sopo Kacharava

• Partner at SMART Support and Lead of Development.
• She has 5 years of experience in HR, specializing in recruitment. Sopo is knowledgeable in IT & Tech Recruitment principles and has worked with companies across various industries, gaining a strong understanding of their specific needs.
• In addition to recruitment, she has contributed to process digitalization and optimization initiatives.
• She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the School of Management and Social Sciences at Free University.