It is a shame that Personnel Today concluded the reception for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s new HR profession map has been lukewarm (‘CIPD professional standards map gets lukewarm reception from HR’, Personnel Today, 28 April).
The map is in its early days, but through the extensive consultation that has helped shape it, and the rigorous road-testing by household-name employers it is now undergoing, we’ve picked up a huge level of warmth for what we are doing.
What we are delivering with the map is nothing short of a radical overhaul of professional standards. We’re reflecting the enormous changes in the profession to date.
But even more importantly, we’ve put together a dynamic map that will both prepare today’s professionals for future challenges, and also adapt continuously to the changing current and future needs of the profession. This is a living, breathing, growing profession, and our map has been built to reflect that fact.
At the heart of our approach is a determination to ensure HR is equipped to step up its contribution to driving sustainable high performance within organisations. And to ensure that HR professionals have the benchmarking information and tailored support to keep learning and developing as they rise through the ranks.
I’m excited about what we have achieved in putting the map together; I’m convinced of the quality and rigour of our work. Most importantly, in the context of your report on the map, I am very pleased with the genuine enthusiasm displayed by the wide cross-section of the HR profession we have spoken to in its development.
We have rewritten the parameters for HR professional development, not just for today, but in a way that will help to attract, retain and develop the brightest and best talent in HR long into the future.
Sarah Miles, director of organisational effectiveness and development, CIPD