Canadian HR Reporter

CanaDian hr reporTer november 3, 2014 news 11 When the CHRP was originally developed, it was entry-level and now it's more mid-level, said An- toinette Blunt, president of Iron- side Consulting Services in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and chair of a task force overseeing and guiding the framework's development. "If anything, elevating it and describing it and defining it for what it truly is really ramps up and demonstrates the true value of that designation... it's acknowl- edgement of something that has progressed and evolved over time but hasn't been publicly acknowl- edged for what it truly is," she said. "We now know that we need to offer something as a new des- ignation that's really more at the entry level because the CHRP has moved up, from that perspective." HR professionals practising at the professional level without three years' experience and a uni- versity degree should have the op- portunity to practise within a pro- fessional framework, especially in Ontario with its new public act, said Blunt. "We have a great responsibility for the protection of the public to ensure that professionals are prac- tising at an appropriate level. at provides us with more of a frame- work to encompass the whole scope of the profession." At the entry level, at least a di- ploma or certificate in HR will be required for the new designation. At the mid-level, a degree plus completion of a required business and HR curriculum at the degree level is required while at the senior level, no required coursework or educational qualification is need- ed, said Balthazard. Another reason for the new designation is there's nothing about employment law in the current certification process, said Greenhalgh, even though this area affects almost all of the HR pro- fession, from hiring and termina- tions to labour relations. "Our members and organiza- tions say they don't understand why there hasn't been any part of that in there," he said. e new designations will have workplace and employment law embedded in the competency ar- eas, said Balthazard. ere will be a separate knowledge-based exam around employment law at the entry level and more on knowl- edge and the ability to apply that knowledge at the mid-level. In working on the competency framework, it became apparent certain areas were missing, such as business acumen and stra- tegic direction, said Blunt. e new framework will have 213 functional competencies and 15 enabling competencies with be- havioural indicators at each of the three levels, for a total of 228 com- petencies, she said. "It really provides a lot of very specific detail so that members will understand 'What does it mean to practise at this level, what knowledge will I need, what tech- nical skills will I need, how will I demonstrate competency in this area and how will it be assessed?'" Mutual recognition Ideally, there should be common standards for HR designations in Canada that everybody recogniz- es and everybody awards on the same basis, said Greenhalgh. "Today, that doesn't exist — the CHRP is different in different provinces, it's granted in different ways." ere's never really been a na- tional standard, said Balthazard. For instance, provincial associa- tions, other than Quebec's, have yet to introduce any requirement for HR coursework. e CHRP is only protected by statute in Ontario and Quebec and while that may change in the future as the profession is regu- lated in other provinces, for now that's not the case, he said. Hopefully, the other provinces will pick up and accept the new designations, said Greenhalgh. "We don't know why they wouldn't because their goal is a tier-one, competency-based designation that has got all the things in it — legislation, employ- ment law, tests the ability to apply knowledge as well as to know in- formation — and is respected and valued and is protectable," he said. "If any other province or any- body wants to start from scratch, it's going to take them years to get to where we are, and quite a lot of money... We assume that they'll pick it up and end up with mutually recognized designation across the country that is actually granted in an identical way in ev- ery province." While change can be difficult, it's hoped members will embrace the new changes, said Blunt. "is does not take away any- thing from whatever somebody currently has. It's very progres- sive, it allows the opportunity for growth and opportunity for more options for people entering the profession. So for those that are currently in the profession, it re- ally doesn't impact where they are, except to provide them with more up-to-date guidelines as to where their practice should be at today. So it's more of a confirmation of where members already are." And employers should embrace the new designations, said Blunt. "Employers that have HR mem- bers that are not CHRP — (who) may be functioning at an adminis- trative level in an HR department — will be able to see that there's an opportunity to have these profes- sionals certified at the appropriate level, which gives them more as- surance that their employees are functioning appropriately." e process There will be a three-year transition for the new des- ignations, said Green- halgh. And about 60 per cent of HRPA members are already designated, and they will be grandfa- thered into the mid-level of the designation. About 20 or 30 per cent are currently work- ing along the path and will have at least partial exemptions. They also have time to take the Comprehensive Knowledge Exam and go through the existing CHRP cer- tification process to be grandfa- thered as well. "We're trying to make the tran- sition as simple and as reasonable as possible and as clear as pos- sible," said Greenhalgh. "We understand that… dollars are scarce and our goal is to keep certification cost at an absolute minimum," he said. "At the same time, of course, the value these designations cre- ate will really add value to their careers, so if there is any small increase in the certification cost, it will be more than offset by the value that it brings to them in the marketplace." Attaining the designations will include exams that test knowledge and performance assessments that assess the ability to use this knowledge, according to Balthaz- ard. And the enabling competen- cies are specified at the individual, team and enterprise levels. The first version of the new knowledge exam will be available in November 2015 and the new employment law exams will roll out around the end of 2016. The first people to go fully through the program accredita- tion would start in September 2016 and come out of it around the end of 2017. HRPA intends to introduce program-based accreditation for degree-granting HR programs. is will not require any changes for many of the colleges and uni- versities as they have upgraded their programs over the years, said Greenhalgh. And the associa- tion will work closely with educa- tional institutions and qualify the whole program, he said. Students who graduate from accredited HR programs will be exempt from writing the knowl- edge exam. The exam will be maintained to qualify candidates who graduate from non-accredit- ed programs, said Balthazard. ORDER TODAY! 416.862.4512 or bot.com/surveys COMPENSATION REPORTS ATTRACT AND RETAIN GOOD TALENT 2014 2015 Are you paying too much or not enough for your talent? Latest market data is now available! Compensation Report Partner: New designations to have employment law component hrpa < pg. 1 The above competency framework, supplied by HRPA, shows the nine functional areas of competence surrounded by the 15 enabling competencies for the new designations. strategy level i level ii level iii International Human Resource Management Develop an overall HR strategy that can be adapted to various national contexts Gathers relevant information upon request, on HR management across various national contexts. Works with others to develop an overall HR strategy that can be adapted to various national contexts. Influences the overall multinational HR strategy to enable it to be maximally effective from the perspective of an HR leader in the multinational head office. saMPle of 3 levels This chart, supplied by HRPA, shows the different competency requirements of the junior, mid-level and senior levels of the new designations.

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