IPM hosts South Asia’s largest HR conference

By Hiruni Dabarera 

IPM, Sri Lanka’s premier institute of Human Resource Management, inaugurated its flagship event: IPM National HR Conference at BMICH yesterday in a bid to create a platform for all stakeholders of HR fraternity under the patronage of the Plantation Industry Ministry Naveen Dissanayake. 

The HR conference which is South Asia’s largest, hopes to bring about exclusive cutting-edge and thought provoking interaction on competitiveness under the theme of ‘HR ecosystem for competitiveness’ during a two-day discussion held among HR professionals. 

“Human Resource Professionals are not managers but leaders that motivate the workforce in an organisation. Development of human talent is the most vital component for the development of the organisation”, expressed the Minister at the Conference. 

According to the Minister even though much effort and zeal is undertaken by the private sector to look into their organisation’s human resource aspect, in the government authorities, departments and corporations it is quite limited. 

“In Sri Lanka there is a huge gap between what the market demands and what the labour force is equipped with. The education system is flawed as it fails to empower the country’s youth with practical and soft skills. Owing to this we faced two severe and horrendous insurrections by the youth in our past”, stressed the Minister further. 

He elaborated that unless Sri Lanka arrives at a paradigm shift among the youth, realise that its people are its most valuable asset and equip them with the necessary practicality, the country is faced with a huge crisis.

The keynote speaker of the inauguration was Singapore Human Resource Institute (SHRI) President Erman Tam. He validated the Minister by stating that the empowerment of the people in a country is its secret to achieve economic growth. His country’s rapid growth and expansion within a short span of fifty years acts as justice to his words. 

From 1965 to 2015 Singapore was able to shift from a country that was dependent on the outside world for its food, energy and water with a per capita of only $ 5000 to a booming economy with a per capita of $ 55 910 and the most liveable city in the world. Behind Singapore’s success was ideal leadership planning and political succession, good quality of people and unity

“In Singapore we trust in the unity of our people coming from different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds. In 1965, when we liberated from Malaysia our only natural resource was our people. So we invested in them and attracted foreign talent to help build our nation to where we are today”, declared Tam. Therefore, he stressed the importance of proper HR qualifications in his country in order to progress. 

The Human Resource Workforce Skills Qualifications Framework in Singapore revolves around a competency framework developed through a rigorous process of international research consultation that provides HR professionals with greater access to modular competency-based training that leads to the attainment of nationally recognised HR certificates and qualifications. This qualification helps facilitate career enhancement for HR professionals. 

The President of SHRI commended IPM’s success in developing human capital to create a globally competitive work force in Sri Lanka.

During the first day of the conference IPM’s first research Symposium under the theme ‘Developing strategies for uplifting high performance through IPM’ and the inauguration of the HR Service Provider’s Exhibition was held. 

Sessions on ‘Creativity in organisations’, ‘Governance and ethical leadership’, ‘Technology and people’, ‘Competitiveness’ and ‘Change and Transformation-Regional Experience’ by reputed HR Professionals around the world will be held on the second day of the conference. 

Pix by Upul Abayasekara