Although the profession of Human Resources is almost as old as civilisation itself, from farmers hiring helping hands to military generals recruiting soldiers, designing compensation methods, progression in the professions and so forth. But through out history the vitality and importance of this branch of human economics has never been under such a strong spotlight as it is in the 21st century.Â
From the early 50’s up until the late 80’s the department which managed human related issues was called the personnel department or simply Administration. Few universities around the world offered majors in this field as it was not deemed as a core function in the organisations, and there was mild interest in human resources, however with the introduction of internet and the resulting fast paced work environment human resources grew to be one of the most important and dignified arm in an organisation. Employers and managers realised the importance of having great teams to funnel profits and organisational growth. The correlation between human capital and organisational capacity, improved efficiency, managerial effectiveness, organisation culture and sustainable profits did not become only a reality but a fact.
Parallel to all this growth in the recognition and acceptance of the human resources department came the boom in the universities worldwide offering MBA, Masters and Post grad diploma’s in the human resources field and presently human resources is a career choice for 2 out of 7 people applying in any university in the United States. But because of such an over abundance of people majoring in human resources the field has become more competitive; this gave rise to the concept of certification in the field. Although certifications were strictly related to Engineering and Technical fields not less than 2 decades ago, but now certifications in Human Resources is an additional burden which is bore by professionals in the field.
Presently in the US, SHRM is a body which issues certifications and has an offshoot which is strictly designed for issuing certifications. A new certifications body which is less than a decade old is HRAcademia, the reason we are featuring HRAcademia is because of their brilliant model of ensuring that HR professionals all over the world can easily become certified. Where others like them make it strenuous and difficult for people to get certified, HRAcademia follows a simple philosophy of making sure that if an HR professional is competent enough, he can study and attempt the exam from the convenience of their homes or offices. At the same time, it is very cost-effective as well. Presently HRAcademia has majority of the certified professionals who have benefited from their programs from the United States, but other countries are following suit.
‘The biggest challenge which we face when onboarding international students is that they will be unsure about the validity of the program and the certification, while it becomes challenging to educate international professionals as they keep asking for accreditation without realizing that a certification does not require accreditation we have ensured that we have the full backing of American Institute of Chartered Certifications.’ says Amy, the Chief Certifications Officer at HRAcademia.
Presently there is an over abundance of HR degree’s and certification’s available in the United States and the world over. The field of Human Resources is also evolving at the same pace, now more than ever newer degrees are emerging such as Organizational Psychology and Work Studies, although they are targeting the same function of any organization i.e. managing humans.
The future apparently is technology, however there is a strong distrust among the HR fraternity in online HR degrees. This is where the path deviates for human resources certifications, organisations like SHRM and HRAcademia offer certifications and their studies, learning material and even the certificate is often online. ‘Even if you do not have a formal degree in human resources, but you are a Certified Human Resource Professional, you have a better chance of being hired’, says an HR Manager of a production facility in Boston. This dilemma faced by professionals in HR is evident and frustrating for them. The only viable option it seems is that an HR professional should have a university degree in HR coupled with HR certification. This option is now a trend and predictably will not change in the next decade or so at least, until a new method of managing humans can be found.