A national certification for human resources (HR) professionals and other initiatives were announced on Thursday (May 25) by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Workforce Singapore (WSG).
In a joint media release, they said the aim is to support the HR profession in developing and deepening their skills.
NATIONAL HR CERTIFICATION
The national certification framework aims to enhance the competencies of HR professionals and create developmental and progression pathways for them, said the joint release.
It added that those who are certified can expect to be recognised for their knowledge, skills and attributes, “and be more effective in enabling human capital development to deliver positive business impact for their organisations.”
This move to have a national certification was first revealed last year, and a new professional body – the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) – was set up to implement and drive it.
The certification was then piloted last October and November by WSG and on Thursday, 88 HR professionals received their certificates from Minister of State for Manpower Teo Ser Luck.
“The IHRP certification recognises the skills required for HR professionals to be future ready and help businesses plan and address manpower challenges ahead,” said WSG chief executive Tan Choon Shian.
More details on the certification will be announced later this year, said MOM and WSG.
SUPPORTING CONTINUAL DEVELOPMENT
To support the continual development of HR professionals, WSG and SkillsFuture Singapore on Thursday introduced new “re-skilling and up-skilling” programmes.
These include a Professional Conversion Programme for mid-career executives who want to transition into the field of HR.
For polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates to get a head-start in HR-related careers, SkillsFuture introduced its Earn and Learn Programme for HR. Participating employers will be able to recruit fresh local talent and prepare them for suitable HR job roles within their organisations.
For Singaporean HR professionals who want to deepen their skills in the sector, there is the SkillsFuture Study Award for HR. The bond-free study award aims to help nurture a strong pipeline of HR professionals that are well-equipped to enable human capital development in their organisations, said MOM and WSG.
Source: Channel NewsAsia© Mediacorp Pte Limited