To value add and validate the professional expertise, competencies and skills of HR professionals in Singapore, while strengthening the HR practice in the region, the tripartite partners: Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) have joined forces to set up a human resource professional body, the Institute of Human Resource Professionals (IHRP).
Earlier last month, IHRP conferred 88 applicants with IHRP certification under a pilot-run program by Workforce Singapore. For the next batch of HR applicants, IHRP will start accepting applications for certification assessment from July 2017.
IHRP is the only HR professional body in Singapore authorised to implement the IHRP Certification, which is the national HR certification framework. The purpose of the IHRP Certification is to strengthen the HR standards of excellence in Singapore and offer a formal professionalisation of the HR function.
This national HR certification framework comes at an opportune time as the country builds up capabilities within the HR industry to become future-ready. There will also be SkillsFuture Study Awards for HR workers to upgrade their skills.
So, Why Get IHRP Certified?
“Over time, IHRP aims to develop and support HR professionals to adopt progressive HR practices and facilitate greater participation by enterprises in employee development and recognition of skills. IHRP aims to achieve this in close collaboration and partnership with other organizations in the HR eco-system,” says Mayank Parekh, CEO of IHRP.
Sharing experience of being a level 2 pilot participant of the IHRP programme, Tan Ai Sim, Head of Human Resources, ASEAN at Syngenta Asia Pacific Pte Ltd said, “I especially appreciate the pragmatism injected into the assessment papers. The certification for Senior HR professional has 2 parts – Paper 1 is a legislation based MCQ open book assessment. As the questions are scenario based, they serve to test one’s understanding of the legislation in a practical manner. The key themes covered in Paper 2 aptly reflect current priorities of the Singapore labour market – namely ageing workforce, talent pipeline, future jobs and skills development etc. The preparation process towards achieving the certification has certainly refreshed my knowledge about the Singapore labour legislation and challenges which have changed significantly over the years.”
See: Professional Body Set Up to Implement National Scheme for HR Professionals in Singapore
“The role of HR has changed through the years. There has been a demand for HR to go beyond being just an administrative function. As part of the HR function, we are expected to provide solutions to businesses in areas such as talent acquisition and development. In addition, we have also become the enabler and facilitator between employees and management. As the world evolves and becomes more global and complex, the role of HR is becoming more important. One will have to level up the competencies to live up to the expectations. As one works on building these core HR competencies, this accreditation helps to further validate the experience and provides a benchmark to the fellow practitioners. I encourage all practitioners to join the league,” says Tessa Tok, HR Business Partner- Asia Pacific at DHL eCommerce (Singapore) Pte Ltd.
See Siok Hoon, Head HR and Admin at Home Nursing Foundation comments, “Through the certification process, I have learnt that being a Certified HR Professional is not only about having all required related competencies, but it is also about upholding and abiding the code of conduct. Apart from boosting my confidence levels, this certification has also helped prove my worth as a HR professional in my last organisation. I feel that it will increase my employability when I’m ready to return to the workforce in a few months’ time. The IHRP Certification will also help HR professionals equip and enhance themselves with the appropriate competencies to deal with more challenging HR roles for the present, as well as in future too.”
Another level one participant of IHRP, Jonathan Yoong – State Courts, Assistant Director (Learning & Development) says, “The IHRP certification has definitely given me insight into how the HR initiatives work and the impact it can have on the officers within my organisation. This has given me greater impetus to further hone my HR skills. I think that the IHRP certification has helped ignite passion within the HR community in Singapore, by sharing of HR practices both within the public and private sector, and how the HR community would be able to join together to meet new HR challenges and explore new possibilities for the future economy.”
The IHRP Certification also facilitates the incorporation of Singapore’s employment legalisation and advisories (such as the Fair Consideration Framework) and more importantly, it allows room for updates to the Framework in accordance with changes in the local HR landscape and practices. If you are looking for more information about IHRP certification, it can be found here.
It’s time HR professionals’ step up to embrace change and get certified, to don new feather in their cap.
Also read: Talent with AWS Skills and Certifications on Demand in Singapore
