Ontario, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia first to offer Senior Human Resources Professional designation
Three provincial HR associations are launching a new designation for senior human resources professionals.
The Senior Human Resources Professional (SHRP) designation was developed by an interprovincial team of Canadian HR associations and Ontario, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia will be the first to launch it.
The designation is reserved for senior HR executives who have made significant impact on their organizations and the profession.
"We have long recognized the need for a senior designation and our members have told us so in surveys and forums," said Antoinette Blunt, chair of the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA), the Ontario HR association. "The SHRP addresses that need and Ontario is proud to be among the first Canadian HR associations to offer it to our members."
The SHRP is not to be confused with the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation, said Bill Greenhalgh, CEO of HRPA.
"The CHRP is the gold standard for HR competence," said Greenhalgh, who also chaired the interprovincial taskforce that developed the senior designation.
"The SHRP is awarded for exceptional achievement of high-impact HR leadership. It is not intended to be a senior CHRP."
The SHRP is for very senior executives who have reached the top echelons of the profession and their organizations.
Individuals who hold a SHRP designation share six common attributes: leadership, trusted advisor, strategic orientation, breadth of knowledge (not just in HR, but management generally), the ability to build HR strategy that aligns to business, and most importantly, the ability to have significant impact and influence across their organizations.
To begin the application process, HR professionals first completed an online self-assessment that asks applicants about their HR function: experience, job scope, size and complexity of organization, and education. The self-assessment is available at www.shrpdesignation.ca.
In the second phase, HR professionals will be sent a detailed questionnaire, which will be evaluated by a SHRP assessment committee. Initially, these evaluations will be performed by existing certification committee panels. In time, this role will be assumed by SHRP volunteers.
