The Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) has introduced 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 the HR practice.
The new framework creates three new HR designations: Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP), Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) and Certified Human Resources Executive (CHRE).
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.
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.
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.
Existing CHRP, SHRP 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 HRPA CEO Bill Greenhalgh. “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.”
He adds that there was a need to update its certification framework to incorporate both knowledge and competence around things such as strategy, demographics, workplace accommodation, business acumen, diversity, employment law and analytics.
“Second,” Greenhalgh explains, “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.”
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