12.3 How To Earn Certification

How to Get One’s Career Going as an HR Student?

Students who are interested in a career in HR may wish to complete the HRPA’s certification process confers the right to use the title Certified Human Resources Professional and the right to use the initials C.H.R.P. or CHRP after one’s name. Certification is a “warrant of competence” or “warrant of expertise”. The overarching objective of HRPA’s certification process is to ensure that those HR professionals who are certified by HRPA possess the knowledge and skills in sufficient degree to competently perform important occupational activities and to protect the public interest.

Certification establishes common professional standards for Human Resources Management across Canada. Employers value such standards which seek, among other things, to address multi-jurisdictional considerations and facilitate the efficient practice of human resources. The CHRP designation positions the practitioner at the leading edge of the profession in Canada – informed, experienced, connected and committed to career long learning.

Certification Requirements

The following has been copied from HRPA’s website. For up-to-date information and assistance contact HRPA directly. You may also attend an information session sponsored by the Employment Relations Students’ Association (ERSA) in the early part of the Fall Session.

HRPA’s certification process has five (5) components:

1. HRPA Membership in good standing
2. Successful completion of the Coursework Requirement
3. Successful completion of the Comprehensive Knowledge Exam 1
4. Successful completion of the CHRP/CHRL Employment Law Exam 1
5. Successful completion of the Job Ready Program

If you have any questions about the CHRP designation, please contact the HRPA Office of the Registrar .

HRPA’s Coursework Requirement

The coursework requirement is established to ensure that certified Human Resources Professionals have a solid foundation in the Human Resources discipline. There are two (2) routes to meeting the coursework requirement: (1) by completing the requisite coursework or (2) by demonstrating equivalent preparation in Human Resources. This second route is called the alternate route and will be discussed below.

The coursework requirement consists of successful completion of nine courses. Successful completion means obtaining a grade of 70% or better over all nine courses with no single course below 65%.

The nine (9) courses are:

• Human Resources Management (HRM)
• Organizational Behaviour
• Finance and Accounting
• Human Resources Planning
• Occupational Health and Safety
• Training and Development
• Labour Relations
• Recruitment and Selection
• Compensation

Read more about the HRPA Coursework Requirement.

Comprehensive Knowledge Exam Prep

There are several ways to prep for the Comprehensive Knowledge Exam.  You may wish to form a study group with others who are prepping for the exam, you can choose self-study and utilize all the resources you have accumulated to date, you could choose a mentor who will act as a guide and advisor, some colleges and universities have pre programs, while other institutions all provide prep programs.

This text book is one step in assisting you in prepping for the exam.  It includes all 9 of the required courses and the HRPA Competencies are distributed throughout the text.  In addition there are knowledge checks, activities and exercises to complete. The Knowledge Checks are not the questions on the real exams;; however, they do focus on the content required.

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