SHRM and HRP launch certification program focusing on HR competencies and knowledge

By Shehana Dain

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) along with the Association of Human Resource Professionals (HRP) launched the SHRM certification program that is clearly focused on the competencies and knowledge all HR professionals need.

The certification differs itself from all other qualifications by giving HR professionals much more than just a paper qualification, it gives the HR fraternity exposure to the most latest and most advanced HR practices as well as helps HR practitioners gain a globally recognised qualification.

HRP President Chiranthi Cooray said; “The synergistic partnership with SHRM has paved way for the HR certification to be introduced to Sri Lanka to further enhance the professional stature and international mobility of the body HR workers in the country.”

Cooray further highlighted: “The qualification is not merely another qualification but it will certainly fire up the portfolio of a Sri Lankan HR professional, which will undoubtedly provide a new benchmark for excellence in HR within the country.”

HRP Sri Lanka President L. Chiranthi Cooray and SHRM India CEO Achal Khanna Exchange of Agreements

The new SHRM competency based certification is a credential which not only assesses what you know but your ability to apply that knowledge in a work place. Based on the SHRM competency model the certificate covers nine domains essential for HR leaders to succeed the model begins with foundation of HR expertise, includes leadership and navigation, ethical practice, business acumen relationship, management consultancy, critical evaluation, global and culture effectiveness and effective communication.

During the launch, SHRM India CEO Achal Khanna asserted: “Through this we aspire to provide working professionals, a comprehensive understanding of human resource management. This flagship course would certainly help HR professionals in Sri Lanka to evolve in their respective domains and become a valuable asset to the company. We are also optimistic about further strengthening our relationship with HRP as we work together to develop HR professionals across the country.”

SHRM is the world’s largest organisation devoted to human resource management; hence this certification is globally recognised and is not only focused on business practices in the West but also applicable to HR practitioners worldwide.  The qualification consists of SHRM Certified Profession (CP) and Senior Certified Profession (SCP); the latter is for professionals with more work experience and stresses on the strategic proficiency of HR while the former concentrates on the operational aspect of HR.

SHRM India Head Advisory and Knowledge Puneet Rathi emphasised: “Gone are the days where only knowledge-related HR mattered, today the whole world is moving towards a HR leadership model where the focus is on competency. We give due recognition for HR knowledge but we have given prominence for various other proficiencies.”

The certification is open to individuals who are passionate to work in the area of HR or grow in this field. To be eligible for CP the applicant needs to possess a HR degree and work experience of minimum three years; for those who are not from an HR academic background, four years of work experience is required. To be SCP certified, seven years of work experience is necessary. 

An outstanding feature of this qualification is the validation period being only three years. Rathi noted: “The world is changing so rapidly, we want people to upgrade their skills by self-learning and we want to re-certify them, maintaining quality and continuous learning of certificate holders is one of our main objectives.”

Pix by Upul Abayasekara