CIPM Holds Conference in October, Begins Licensing of 6000 HR Practitioners

The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) is set to hold the 46th annual conference from 14th to 16th of October at Abuja to present the first batch of licenses to qualified members of the HR regulatory body in Nigeria.

In a press release sent to us by the Head of Sales and Marketing Department of the institute, the President of the body, Victor Famuyibo, said CIPM would officially launch the Human Resource Practitioners’ Licence at the conference in Abuja, as the permit to operate and practice as HR practitioners in the country.

He further said that all CIPM’s financially active members on a minimum grade of Associate would be entitled to this licence at its maiden roll out. The license, according to him, has a three year validity period, after which the holders will be required to revalidate or renew their licenses.

In his words: “it is an endorsement certification by the CIPM to its holder for his/her worthiness to practice the profession within and according to the ethos of the profession over a specified validity period.” He added that the licensing was “to separate the men from the boys and the wheat from the chaff in HR practice” as the institute further strengthens her resolve to distance self from unrelenting illegal practitioners.

He explained that if the only body licensed to regulate the HR in the country has issued licenses and you as a practitioner choose to distance yourself from it, then you can be legitimately classified as illegal or quack practitioner. The president stated that CIPM is happy to introduce this and affirmed that this is the type of endorsement business owners are looking to trust HR practitioners as reputable managers of men.

Famuyibo went further in the statement that the three year renewal period was made because HR is a dynamic profession for which no one can be licensed permanently and that the new way of supporting practices requires regular updating of knowledge. Licensing without renewal, he said, will produce HR practitioners with outdated knowledge. But having to come for regular update of knowledge, as a requirement for license renewal, is an avenue to keep our practitioners all well updated and keep everyone on the same page.

Commenting on the licencing exercise, Sunday Adeyemi, the registrar of the institute stated that no fewer than 6000 HR practitioners and active members currently under the watch of the institution would automatically be eligible for the licenses. He observed, that the institute had for so long kept its’ establishing charter without invoking it against illegal HR practitioners. “It is now time to roll up our sleeves and wield the bid stick against illegal practitioners” he said.

On the upcoming conference, the CIPM president said the dynamic nature of the profession also informed the theme of the conference tagged “switch on” to thoroughly explore, exploit and activate significant and specific set of industry issues and emerging trends in the HR world that would create a paradigm shift in the way practitioners think.

He posited that “everything is changing and changing fast”. HR practitioners are continually faced with the challenges of shortage of talents privacy resulting from fast growing influence of social media, ethics in corporate governance and predictive analytics, among others. Business complexity and uncertainties now require that HR and its professionals demonstrate uncanny proactive qualities laced with flawless execution capabilities and not just business as usual. And this is the idea of “Switch On” for HR practitioners.

Chairman of the conference organising committee, Akpos Adonkie hinted of plans for several engaging sessions presided over by sought-after thought leaders with over 2000 delegates, business leaders, Chief Executive Officers of A-rated organisations, government representatives and participants from all over the world.