HRPA introduces three new Human Resources designations

Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) updating HR certifications to address changing workplaces and growing demands placed on HR professionals

TORONTO, Oct 29, 2014 /CNW/ - The Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) is today introducing a new competency based HR certification framework that tests an updated body of knowledge, and the ability to apply that knowledge, at three levels of human resources practice: entry-level, professional-level and executive-level. The new framework creates three new HR designations:

• Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP)—HRPA's original HR designation, the CHRP was created as an Entry level designation, but its positioning had broadened over the years. Under the new framework, it once again becomes the entry-level designation, intended for HR professionals in roles that are mostly administrative in nature, such as a contributing role in a larger HR function, or a sole HR practitioner in a small HR function.
• Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) —HR professionals at the CHRL level are specialists/generalists with responsibilities such as managing projects and programs; implementing plans passed down by senior management; and delegating tasks to entry-level staff.
• Certified Human Resources Executive (CHRE)—HR professionals at CHRE level have a high level of experience and responsibility such as leading the HR function in large organizations, developing and executing significant HR projects, working with Boards or HR Committees, dealing with executive compensation, and having responsibility for HR strategies in support of long term organizational goals.

Effective today, existing CHRPs, SHRPs and CHRP Candidates are grandfathered into the CHRL, CHRE, and CHRP designations respectively.

"We are updating our competency framework and HR designations for two major reasons," says Bill Greenhalgh, HRPA CEO. "First, our core designation, the CHRP, was created as an entry to the profession in 1996. The world of work has advanced dramatically in the last 20 years and is driving businesses to demand higher expectations of HR professionals. We needed to update our certification framework to incorporate both knowledge and competence around things like strategy, demographics, workplace accommodation, business acumen, diversity, employment law and analytics.

"Second, with the passage of the Registered Human Resources Professionals Act, 2013, the government has trusted us to self-regulate in the public interest, as a Tier 1 profession, and we needed an updated framework to do this effectively.

"We believe that this is a giant progressive step forward for HRPA members, we are sure it will have major positive career impacts in the future and it will create a designation framework that is highly valued not just by members but by organizations as well."

For more information about HRPA's new competency framework and designations, please visit www.hrdesignations.ca

The Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) is the professional regulatory body and the professional association for Human Resources professionals in Ontario. It oversees more than 20,000 members in 28 chapters across the province. It connects members with an unmatched range of HR information resources, events, professional development and networking opportunities and annually hosts Canada's largest HR conference. In Ontario, HRPA issues designations that certify knowledge and competence at three levels of HR practice: entry (CHRP), professional (CHRL) and executive (CHRE).

www.hrpa.ca

SOURCE: Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario

Duff McCutcheon, Communications Specialist, HRPA, [email protected], 416 923 2324 x324