Recertification log reflects importance of experience, learning and leadership
As of Jan. 1, 2011, human resources professionals will have a new way of tabulating professional development points to recertify their Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation.
The recertification log, which assigns points to various professional development activities, has been updated to better reflect the importance of experience as well as learning and leadership in the practice of HR, according to the Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations (CCHRA).
“We felt it’s such an important factor to be able to deliver what you learn rather than just learn it,” said Larry Highcock, chairman of CCHRA’s national recertification committee.
But developing knowledge is still important because you need to have current knowledge of professional practices in order to be able to apply it, he added.
CHRP holders must recertify their designation every three years. They can either recertify by collecting 100 points for various professional development activities or by rewriting the National Professional Practice Assessment (NPPA). (Quebec has different certification rules and Ontario no longer uses the NPPA.)
In both the current and new logs, there are five professional development categories: continuing education, leadership, instruction, significant work projects/initiatives and research or publication. In each category, there are various activities designation holders can complete for a specific number of points.
In the new log, the order of the development categories was changed to focus attention on activities that reflect the importance of experience and the application of learned behaviours, said Highcock.
Significant work projects/initiatives switched positions with continuing education to go from fourth position to first. Leadership is second, followed by instruction, continuing education and research or publication.
Under the current system, designation holders can only accumulate 50 points in the research or publication category and 70 points in each of the leadership, instruction and work projects/initiatives categories. Designation holders can, however, accumulate 100 points in continuing education.
So it is possible for designation holders to recertify by only completing continuing education activities, which didn’t sit well with the national recertification committee.
“We felt that the 100-point requirement needed to be accumulated in two or more categories,” said Highcock.
In the new log, there’s no cap in any of the categories as long as CHRP holders accumulate 100 points in at least two categories, which is to designation holders’ advantage, said Rodica Zamfir, membership and certification manager at the Human Resources Institute of Alberta (HRIA).
“That gives them more liberty to choose the professional development activities, the area they feel closest to,” she said. “If they are more active in that area, they can get 99 points in leadership and one point in a different category.”
As part of the update, each development activity was reviewed and rewritten as necessary to ensure a clear understanding of what is necessary to ensure the activity is accepted for points.
“We had to make sure people understood what we were asking and make it user-friendly,” said Highcock.
The allocation of points for each development activity was also examined to ensure equity across all professional development activities.
CHRP holders will be able to use either the current or new log to recertify from Jan. 1, 2011, to Dec. 31, 2011. As of Jan. 1, 2012, only the new log will be accepted.
HRIA sent out the new log to its 2,200 members in June to inform them of the changes and give them time to choose which log they want to use to recertify and when, said Zamfir. Only one member came back to the association with some questions about the new log.
“That means there’s a good understanding of the changes,” said Zamfir.
