Recently the CCHRA Board approved the new 2014 CPHR Competency Framework (CF), which provides the national foundation for the CPHR designation and updates the HR body of knowledge, reflecting the results of the 2013 Professional Practice Analysis and elevating the value of the CPHR designation.
The 2014 CPHR Competency Framework provides employers, the academic community, the public and HR professionals with a realistic and detailed outline of the skills, knowledge and professional conduct they can expect from an individual with the professional designation of CPHR (Chartered Professional in Human Resources.) The full CPHR Competency Framework document can be found at www.chrp.ca. For further details, consult the frequently asked questions.
“For those with the CPHR designation, the 2014 CPHR Competency Framework is a valuable tool to describe the details of their designation to employers,” said Pierre Simoneau, president, CPHRNB. “And for those contemplating pursuit of the CPHR, it documents the required competencies they will need to demonstrate to earn the designation.”
The new Framework will be shared with association contacts in the academic community, as well as those in government and the business world. “Communicating the rigour of our designation, helps to inform external audiences of the details of our designation and the value that individuals with a CPHR can bring to an organization,” said Pierre Simoneau.
The 2014 CPHR Competency Framework is based on a dual competency model, which describes the functions, knowledge or tasks (functional competencies), specific to HR that a new CPHR should know, as well as the professional traits and skills (enabling competencies) they should possess. The Framework outlines 44 professional competencies in nine functional areas of knowledge (up from seven.) New to the functional competencies in 2014 are the knowledge areas of strategy and financial management. The 2014 CF also outlines five enabling competencies that complete the professional’s skill set. Enabling competencies are not tested in an exam (the NKE), but rather assessed through demonstration in the experience assessment. The Framework specifies the proficiency level at which each competency is to be demonstrated and how it will be assessed. The competencies and proficiency levels detailed in the Framework, represent the minimum requirements to meet CPHR certification.
The nine functional knowledge areas include:
- Strategy
- Professional Practice
- Engagement
- Workforce Planning and Talent Management
- Employee and Labour Relations
- Total Rewards
- Learning and Development
- Health, Wellness, and Safe Workplace
- Human Resources Metrics, Reporting and Financial Management.
Strategy and Financial Management are the two new areas of knowledge that have been added to the 2014 CPHR Competency Framework. The NKE will be updated to reflect the nine functional knowledge areas for the June 2015 exam and beyond. NKE preparation courses will be updated in early 2015 to help candidates prepare for the new NKE. Members can choose to write the current NKE (covering seven functional knowledge areas) in November 2014 or write the updated NKE in June 2015 and beyond. The registration deadline for the November NKE is September 2, 2014.
How different will the updated NKE, administered in June 2015 and beyond, be from the final offering of the current NKE administered in November 2014? The number of questions on the NKE will remain the same. The level of difficulty will be the same. In the current NKE, some of the seven functional knowledge areas count or “weigh” more than others. The updated NKE will weigh each of the nine functional knowledge areas equally. The current NKE does have some questions that test the two new functional knowledge areas, organized under current knowledge areas. The updated NKE will test some additional competencies in the two new functional knowledge areas.
The five enabling competencies include:
- Strategic and Systems Thinking
- Professional and Ethical Practice
- Critical Problem-solving and Decision-making
- Change Management and Cultural Transformation
- Communication, Conflict resolution, and Relationship Management.
The enabling competencies will be acquired through the achievement of an undergraduate degree and the three years of professional HR experience required to earn the CPHR designation.
“As the needs of organizations change and the profession evolves and adapts in response, we will continue to evaluate and elevate the CPHR designation,” said Pierre Simoneau. “This is critical to ensuring Canadian HR professionals continue to provide the best possible service to their employers and the public.”
In addition to helping employers and the public better understand the value of CPHRs and define expectations, the 2014 CPHR Competency Framework will be useful to professors and instructors developing post-secondary course curriculum and HR profession-specific programs and for those interested in pursuing an HR career and earning the CPHR designation.
For more information, members can contact CPHRNB at info@cphrnb.ca.
