To be certified by HRPA, and earn the right to use the Certified Human Resources Professionals designation, applicants must have accumulated at least three years of demonstrated experience in HR at a professional level, in addition to meeting all other certification requirements.
The experience requirement is established under the statutory authority conferred to the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) pursuant to the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario Act, 1990. Section 2(a) of the Act gives HRPA the statutory authority to “establish uniform province-wide standards of knowledge, experience and ethics for all persons engaged in the field of human resources management.” Section 4(1) (b) of the Act gives HRPA the statutory authority to “prescribe the experience criteria to be met by candidates for registration.” Thus, the Board of HRPA is the only body duly authorized to establish experience requirements in relation to the Certified Human Resources Professional designation in Ontario.
Specific criteria have been established that define what is meant by ‘HR experience’ and ‘professional level.’ Determinations as to whether a given candidate’s experience meets the established criteria are made by panels constituted from HRPA’s Certification Sub-committee. It is demonstrated that these judgments are made with a high degree of consistency.
Rationale for the Experience Requirement
The experience requirement was established as an eligibility requirement to ensure that candidates have, at minimum, demonstrated for sufficient length of time the capability to operate at professional level in an area of Human Resources. The length of the experience requirement was set at three years; this length of time has been deemed sufficient to ensure that an individual is capable of operating at a professional level in HR. The three-year experience requirement has been in use at HRPA since the very beginnings of the CHRP designation. The experience requirement was introduced in 1989.
The vast majority of regulated professions in Ontario incorporate some form or experience requirement.
The Experience Requirement
To be certified by HRPA, and earn the right to use the Certified Human Resources Professional designation, individuals must have had at least three years of demonstrated experience in HR at a professional level. There are three aspects to HRPA’s experience requirement; experience must be (1) in HR, (2) at an appropriate level, and (3) for a cumulative duration of three years.
Validation of Experience
What is professional experience?
The crux of the experience requirement is that the experience must be at the professional level. In determining whether HR experience is at the professional level, the following factors are taken into consideration:
- Independence of actions — relates to the amount of planning, self-direction, decision-making and autonomy involved in the work experience;
- A depth of work requirements — relates to the extent to which work experience requires data-gathering, analysis and interpretation;
- Level of interaction — relates to the degree to which the individual interacts with a broad spectrum of contacts, including decision-makers; and
- Responsibility for work outcome — relates to accuracy and extent to which the individual is held accountable for his/her work and decisions.
To be clear, professional does not mean supervisory or managerial. Also, it does not matter whether one is working in a specialist position or a generalist position. It does not matter whether one is working as an independent practitioner or as an employee of a company. Professional does not require that one has overall responsibility for the HR function.
Junior levels in a human resources department performing administrative functions are not considered to be at the appropriate level; time spent in these positions will not be credited against the experience requirement.
What is HR Experience?
The definition of HR experience is identical to the definition provided in the scope of practice delineated in HRPA’s Rules of Professional Conduct.
The Scope of HR Practice is the creation and implementation of all policies, practices and processes to effectively organize and manage all human capital resources in the workplace in service of the ultimate goal of enhancing business outcomes. Human Resources Management involves maintaining or changing relations between employees, between employers or between employers and employees.
The Practice of Human Resources Management includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following:
1. The development and implementation of human resources policies and procedures;
2. Consultation in the area of human resources management;
3. Providing advice to clients, managers, and employees in matters pertaining to management of human resources;
1. The representation of clients and organizations in proceedings related to human resources management;
2. Program development and evaluation in the area of human resources management;
3. The supervision of other Human Resources professionals whether registered or non-registered;
4. Coaching of employees, managers, and other individuals in matters relating to work and employment;
5. The conduct of research in the area of human resources management.
6. Teaching in the area of human resources management.
To be credited toward the experience requirement, fifty-one percent or more of an applicant’s activities must be in human resources as defined above. Beyond this, time will be credited proportionally. For instance, an applicant for whom seventy-five percent (75%) of their time is dedicated to human resources activities as defined above will have their time multiplied by .75. It would take four years of experience in such a position to be equivalent to three years of fulltime experience in human resources.
The experience must have occurred within the last ten years to count towards the experience requirement and the individual must have worked in HR within the last two years.
Work experience in a line capacity will not be credited towards the experience requirement; for example, a position at a managerial level with human resources responsibilities but not a human resources management position i.e., Manager of Engineering would not be considered as HR experience.
General management work may be considered if the human resources work comprises at least fifty-one percent (51%) and there is no HR department or manager in the workplace where the general management work takes place. The general manager must be the person who has direct responsibility and accountability for the strategy, design, implementation, and co-ordination or one or more HR functional areas for the organization.
Small business owners/operators may gain suitable work experience towards the experience requirement provided that the business is established to provide HR advice. Time spent on business development, supervising staff for example, are not applicable towards the experience criteria. The remainder of the HR work will be prorated accordingly.
Employment lawyers are able to meet the experience requirement. However work experience advising clients or conducting litigation is not eligible. Applied human resources work experience for the law firm or a client, such as conducting labour negotiations or conducting downsizing activities, would be considered. Such activity must comprise a significant part of the applicant's work experience and will be prorated accordingly.
Teaching experience enables the applicant to be considered for the experience requirement providing that the courses taught are HRPA accredited courses (teaching experience alone is not sufficient to obtain the experience requirement). The applicant must also have work experience as a HR professional at the appropriate level to qualify.
Work experience gained while serving as a labour union representative or a union employee (such as a Grievance Officer) is not considered to meet the criteria towards the experience requirement unless these activities fall within a position clearly identified as an HR position.
Timing and sequence of the Validation of Experience
The validation of experience may occur before or after other requirements with the exception that one must be a member of HRPA to submit an application for the validation of experience. For many, the validation of experience will be the last requirement to be met. For many new entrants to the field, coursework requirements will be completed within the context of a degree program, this would be followed by writing the knowledge exam, and finally the experience requirement. For experienced candidates who choose to pursue certification somewhat later in their career, the validation of experience could be the first requirement to be met (after membership). For these individuals, the sequence may be degree, then experience, followed by the alternate route to coursework requirement, and finally passing the knowledge requirement.
The Experience Requirement and Internationally Educated Professionals (IEPs)
Simply, it does not matter where the experience has occurred; if it meets the criteria elaborated above, it can count towards the experience requirement. Experience in human resources at a professional level is also a component of the alternate routes process.
Applying for the Validation of Experience
An application for validation of experience is decided on the merits of the written application and supporting documentation. Accordingly, an applicant must submit all requested information, explanations, and materials supporting the contention that experience requirements have been met.
The application form was designed specifically to give panel members the information that is most relevant to the determinations they are tasked to make (that the experience is in HR, that it is at the appropriate level and the amount of time in that position).
All applicants for the verification of experience must attest that all information provided is accurate and complete. Applications must also have the name of a referee who is a CHRP and who is in a position to verify the information provided by the applicant. The member's application is reviewed by staff for completeness before it is forwarded to the Certification Sub-committee for review.
The initiating step in the validation of experience process is for the applicant to fill out the application form. The Validation of Experience application form requires: (1) a chronological resume, (2) job descriptions detailing current and relevant jobs, organizational charts, and job classification codes if applicable. Applicants are also asked to relate how their position(s) compare to the criteria for professional level. Applicants must indicate the proportion of their activities that fall within the area of human resources. Finally, applicants are asked to provide the name of a reference that would be in a position to validate the experience claimed by the applicant.
The Office of the Registrar ensures that all documentation is complete before referring the file to the Certification Sub-committee. HRPA staff cannot comment on whether an application will be successful and cannot comment on when a person should apply. Applicants must use the information required and apply when they beieve their experience meets the requirements.
For those candidates who choose to write the exam before completing the experience requirement, candidates must obtain three years of professional-level HR experience within five years of passing the exam.
The validation of experience is conducted by panels of the HRPA's Certification Sub-Committee. The Certification Sub-Committee meets regularly throughout the year. The deadlines for submission of applications for the validation of experience are as follows:
- January 31
- March 31
- May 31
- July 31
- September 30
- November 30
Applications received by these deadlines will be processed within four to six weeks. The application form for the validation of experience is available on the right hand side menu on this page.
Applicants are also strongly encouraged to review the HRPA Guide to the Validation of Experience in its entirety. The guide is available on the right hand side menu of this web page.
Individuals with questions regarding the experience requirement are strongly encouraged to contact the Office of the Registrar at registrar@hrpa.ca