HR Certification

Major certificate programs in human resources:

• Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) — Human Resource Certification Institute

  
  

  An outline of what HRCI considers the HR body of knowledge is found in its 2000 HRCI Candidate Handbook. Both certificate programs teach broad skills in such areas as compensation and benefits, employee and labor relations, health, safety, and security and management practices. The SPHR is designed to emphasize policy-making, while the PHR is centered on implementing policies formed by others. HRCI plans to include a greater technology emphasis in the next revision of its curriculum. For more information, contact HRCI at hrci@shrm.org or call 703/548-3440.

  
  

• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) and Certified Benefits Professional (CBP) — American Compensation Association

  
  

  Both certificates provide backgrounds in accounting and finance, compensation management, and quantitative methods. The CCP offers a choice of electives ranging from sales compensation to performance management, strategic communication, and international remuneration. The CBP’s electives cover such topics as retirement plans, health care and insurance, strategic benefits planning, and disability management. ACA also offers certificate programs in salary administration, executive compensation, health and welfare programs, and several other specialized topics. Various programs to address technology demands are now being developed. For more information, contact ACA at certification@acaonline.org, or call 480/922-2089.

  
  

• Certified Employee Benefits Specialist Program (CEBS) — International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans

  
  

  The CEBS program is made up of 10 courses that include health and welfare, retirement, human resource management, and compensation and benefits. Course 10 includes a section on benefits technology applications and legal issues surrounding new technologies. IFEBP also offers certificates in health-care plans, global benefits management, employee benefit plans, and retirement plans. Contact cebs@ifebp.org for more information, or call 800/449-2327.

  
  

• IPMA HR Certification — International Personnel Management Association

  
  

  IPMA draws on its HR Competency Model, which has 22 components. The competencies are divided into the broad categories of Business Partner, Change Agent, and HR Leader, and range from “Possesses the Ability to Build Trust Relationships” to “Designs and Implements Change Process” and “Assesses and Balances Competing Values.” The emphasis is on human behavior, and there is no technology component. The complete list of competencies can be viewed online at www.ipma-hr.org/training/pdtrain.html. For more information, contact IPMA at 703/549-7100.

  
  

• IHRIM HR Certification — International Association for Human Resource Information Management

  
  

  IHRIM’s new certification program launches in 2000, with a focus on technology in HR and the implementation and use of HR systems. Components will include project approval, vendor selection, data conversion, and system setup. For more information, contact IHRIM at moreinfo@ihrim.org, or call 312/321-5141.

  
  

Workforce, May 2000, Vol. 79, No. 5, pp. 74 — Subscribe now!