Human Capital Singapore and IHRP sign partnership deal to strengthen HR profession

Human resource professionals will be vital in steering the workforce to emerging areas in a post-coronavirus world. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - Human resource (HR) professionals will be vital in steering the workforce to emerging areas in a post-coronavirus world, said Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad on Wednesday (Nov 25).

He told a virtual audience at a masterclass organised by Human Capital Singapore (HCS): "HR has a major role to play. For example, HR would need to take the lead in strategic workforce planning to plan ahead for the workforce composition and skill sets required to support businesses as they pivot and identify any skills gap in the current workforce."

He added that they will also need to put in place plans to help workers acquire emerging skills so they can fill these gaps, noting: "Where new talent is required, HR would have to drive fair and objective hiring that will allow businesses to access a wide and diverse pool of talent."

A partnership was also signed during the masterclass between training provider HCS and the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP), which was set up by the Ministry of Manpower, the National Trades Union Congress and Singapore National Employers Federation.

It provides frameworks and certification programmes to strengthen the HR profession here.

The partnership will provide an accelerated path for some HR candidates, depending on which qualification track they are on.

Both organisations will also share industry leads, cooperate on marketing and promotion activities, programmes and services.

HCS management board chairman Richard Magnus said: "Covid-19 has profoundly impacted the way work is carried out, and it is unlikely things will go back to business as usual.

"It is therefore more critical than ever for HR professionals to develop new capabilities in people analytics, HR technology adoption, strategic manpower planning and employee experience design within a remotely located workforce."

IHRP chief executive Mayank Parekh said the partnership will help those training in HR to be exempted from some aspects of IHRP certification.

HCS founder and chief executive Ho Geok Choo also noted: "The combined capabilities of IHRP and HCS will provide the HR knowledge and skillset thrust to pivot HR professionalism and standards in Singapore to better support business transformation and manpower planning and development."

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