FAQs

The Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) is a HR professional body, jointly set up by the tripartite partners: the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF).

IHRP is set up to professionalise and strengthen the HR practice in Singapore. IHRP certification raises the HR standards of excellence and provides HR professionals with an industry endorsed mark of quality.

Through the national certification framework and HR development pathways, IHRP will equip HR professionals with the requisite competencies to deliver positive business impact and maximise the potential of their organisations’ human capital.

IHRP is also the appointed programme manager for the Human Capital Diagnostics Tool (HCDT) and the SkillsFuture Study Awards for HR. Through the HCDT, Study Awards and other Human Capital Initiatives, IHRP supports multiple government agencies reaching out to help organisations in Singapore adopt progressive human capital practices.

IHRP is a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) set-up by the tripartite partners – MOM, NTUC and SNEF. It is governed by a 15-member Board of Directors chaired by Ms Goh Swee Chen.

For HR Professionals:
By being part of the community you can,

Enhance Professional Mastery and Career Development

• Receive a Professional Recognition that is Nationally Endorsed.
• Gain access to opportunities to develop and upgrade your HR competencies.

Build a World-Class HR Community

• Belong to a community of like-minded HR Professionals.
• Make a difference and contribute to building a vibrant HR ecosystem.

For organization:
By being part of IHRP’s community, you can:

Contribute to Organisational Performance and Business Growth

• Invest in your Human Capital to transform and grow your business.

Benchmark your organisation against industry standards and practices.

• Advance your business growth by staying compliant and relevant in your Human Capital practices, processes, and standards.

A key value proposition of the IHRP Certification is the support from the tripartite partners, which includes the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore National Employers Federation, and the National Trades Union Congress.

The IHRP Certification is the national HR certification framework and established to meet the needs of the tripartite partners and other industry stakeholders. It is contextualised and catered to the local HR and business landscape.

The IHRP Certification will serve as a benchmark for HR professionals, and in time to come, provide a universal benchmark for employers in identifying HR professionals’ skills and experience.

Over 400 Corporate Partners have undertaken IHRP Certification.

Being an IHRP Certified Associate (IHRP-CA™) will kickstart your HR journey by providing you with a structured 2-year development pathway.

As an IHRP Certified Associate (IHRP-CA™), you will go through structured learning using the 3Es.

1. Emerging skills. Micro-credential in emerging HR skills, application of HR skills through capstone projects, skills framework and Human Capital Diagnostic Tools
2. Exposure. Mentoring, networking opportunities, learning journeys
3. Education. Curated content and Community of Practice on IHRP mobile-enabled learning platform, courses in emerging HR skills provided by accredited partners

To register for events/learning journeys, please login to IHRP Connect.

The IHRP-CA is for you if you are a student or a working professional who currently do not meet the eligibility criteria required for IHRP Certified Professionals (IHRP-CP) (i.e. (1) 2 years of HR-related work experience and (2) 150-hours of HR-related training or education).

The IHRP-CP is for you if you have over 2 years of HR experience at the relevant level as stated in the Body of Competencies.

The IHRP-SP is for you if you are a seasoned and experienced HR leader with responsibilities for leading a HR function, designing, and developing HR policies and programmes, and providing day-to-day guidance to your team for HR service delivery.

The IHRP-MP is the pinnacle of the IHRP Certification and initiated via a nomination process by Tripartite Partners and existing IHRP-MPs. The IHRP-MP is for you if you are a C-suite HR leader who is well-regarded by the HR community and have actively contributed back to the HR industry. You would have the responsibilities for strategizing and directing the HR management and development agenda at an organisation-wide level, often serving as a trusted business partner to C-level stakeholders.

You will qualify if you have 2 years of HR-related work experience at the relevant seniority levels. For Example:

As an IHRP-CP, you will need 2 years’ experience at the relevant level as stated in the Body of Competencies.

As an IHRP-SP, you will need 2 years’ experience performing in the scope of a Head of HR, HR Director, HR Business Partner Lead, or equivalent.

Yes absolutely! To date, HR specialists in the fields of compensation & benefits, talent acquisition, talent management, learning & development have successfully been certified.

The IHRP certification is a practitioner’s certification and a validation of your HR experience. As such, there is an experience requirement of at least 2 years at the role equivalent to the IHRP-CP and IHRP-SP level. You may want to give yourself more time to build up your HR experience if you are not yet ready. If you are a junior HR professional, you could also consider the IHRP Certified Associate (IHRP-CA) Certification.

Yes. As long as you have evidence of having previously attended a HR-related tertiary education (i.e. HR degree/diploma); or HR-related courses, workshops, conference and seminars accumulating to an aggregate of 150-hours, it will count towards the requirement of the 150-hours of HR-related training or education.

The IHRP Certified Associate (IHRP-CA™) is a certification that leads to a structured 2-year development pathway designed to equip individuals with the application of HR knowledge and accelerate their readiness to take on bigger HR roles as an IHRP Certified Professional (IHRP-CP).

Please refer to the IHRP Certification Pathways for more information on IHRP-CA certification requirements.

The purpose of the IHRP Certified Associate is to enable and prepare HR professionals for the IHRP Certified Professional (IHRP-CP) certification, so the IHRP Certified Associate (IHRP-CA™) status is valid for up to 3 years. Recertifying of the IHRP-CA™ credential is not encouraged, we would advise individuals who are reaching the 3-year mark, to apply for the IHRP-CP certification instead. Individuals should capitalise on the IHRP Certified Associate (IHRP-CA™) to progress to IHRP-CP certification.

The IHRP Certified Associate (IHRP-CA™) will commence upon your graduation (for students) and your status as an IHRP Certified Associate (IHRP-CA™) is valid for 3 years upon graduation.

If you have plans to pursue further studies, you may submit proof of full-time studies and IHRP will put on hold your status as an IHRP-CA™ until your graduation. This also applies to those who are required to serve National Service.

Yes, you can still attend selected events / learning journeys targeted for IHRP-CA™ who are not yet working professionals.

Please refer to IHRP’s webpage for the list of courses accredited against the IHRP Body of Competencies (BOC). These provide the underpinning knowledge in the respective BOC area(s). You may also refer to the IHRP Skills Badge microsite for courses that provide fundamental knowledge in the relevant Skills Badge specialty areas. However, do note that unless otherwise specified, Skills Badge courses aim to impart knowledge, but do not necessarily lead to a IHRP Skills Badge. Finally, all courses published on these two course directories are accredited by IHRP and may be used to fulfil the CPD hour requirement for certification and re-certification.

Each accredited course is aligned to the relevant competencies under the IHRP Body of Competencies. You may wish to select the course based on the competency areas which you wish to acquire/ deepen as part of your professional development and upgrading.

The certification will be valid for 3 years from date of notification of assessment outcome.

You may renew your certification by submitting an application for recertification.

If you are due for recertification and keen on exploring an IHRP-CP to IHRP-SP upgrade, please email us at hello@ihrp.sg with the subject title: Recertification and Upgrade Interest, and we will guide you on the process accordingly.

The IHRP certification is the national HR certification. With the launch of the IHRP certification, SHRI has since ceased the SHRI accreditation and is in the process to transit HR professionals who are SHRI-Accredited to be IHRP-Certified.

You may use your Skills Future Credit for the courses and training that leads up to the certification, which will in turn qualify you for the 150 hours. However, Skills Future Credit cannot be used for the certification fees.

IHRP and its Assessors will neither disclose, nor permit members of its staff to disclose any information unless necessary for the provision of the Assessment and/or required to do so by law. Information obtained during the certification process, or from sources other than the applicant, candidate, or certified person, shall not be disclosed to an unauthorised party without the written consent of the individual (applicant, candidate, or certified person).

Please contact us at the following email addresses for the respective matters:

• IHRP Certification (including Bridging) and general enquiries: hello@ihrp.sg
• IHRP Certified Associate (IHRP-CA) enquiries: certifiedassociate@ihrp.sg
• Corporate Partnership enquiries: corporatepartnership@ihrp.sg
• Human Capital Diagnostic Tool (HCDT): hcdiagnostics@ihrp.sg
• IHRP Skills Badges: badges@ihrp.sg
• SkillsFuture Study Award for HR: studyawardHR@ihrp.sg
• Re-certification and enquiries from IHRP certified professionals: community@ihrp.sg

Click here for more information.

• Paper A has a validity of 60 months.
• Paper B, C and N have a validity period of 18 months.

There is no mandatory training required before the assessment. However, you will need to indicate that you have fulfilled approximately 150 hours of HR-related education or training before applying. The 150 hours can be fulfilled through:

• HR-related tertiary education (i.e. HR degree/diploma); and/or any
• HR-related courses, workshops, conference and seminars taken in the past.
• You may also consider taking IHRP Accredited Courses to help you fulfil your HR-related Education and Training hours

To support you in your preparation, click here for more information and you can also access the learning resources such as the Assessment guidelines, test taking tips, recommended learning resources  and workshops, preparatory guides and sample test questions.

You will be notified of your competency assessment outcome within two months from the date of assessment.

There is a two-part holistic assessment process.

For Stage 1: Online Experience Assessment review, the IHRP team will email candidates with the results approximately 1 month from the cut-off date. Upon receipt of the email, candidates should login to the IHRP portal to confirm the date for Stage 2: On-site Competency Assessment and make payment.

The results of Stage 2: On-site Competency Assessment will be released approximately 1 to 2 months (depending on the level of certification) after the onsite assessment date.

You will have up to 2 attempts to pass any of the paper within a one-year period.

IHRP will need to be notified in writing for any exceptional circumstances no later than seven (7) calendar days before the scheduled Assessment date. Such requests should be communicated via hello@ihrp.sg, stating candidate name (as per application), date of assessment and reason(s) for the exceptions.

Exceptional circumstances include:

• Hospitalisation or medical certificates issued by registered hospitals or clinics under the Law of the Republic of Singapore (candidate or immediate family members (spouse, child or parent))
• Bereavement due to the loss of a close family member
• Police Reports for disabling accidents
• Courts appearance
• Unexpected National Service mobilisation
• Unexpected overseas business travel
• COVID-19 related reasons (i.e. Quarantine Order, Stay-Home Notice, contact with suspected COVID-19 case)

IHRP may request for supporting documents.

IHRP may, at its discretion, approve a request to reschedule or cancel an Assessment for a candidate on a case-by-case basis. Relevant rescheduling or cancellation fees may apply.

* A candidate’s inability to take the IHRP Assessment due to work commitments or insufficient or inappropriate preparation will not be considered under exceptions.

Upon notification of the application acceptance, the candidate is allowed seven (7) calendar days to change assessment date without incurring a fee. Rescheduling fee is chargeable thereafter.

Any rescheduling of Assessment must be made, and fees paid, no later than ten (10) calendar days before the scheduled assessment date or start date of the remote assessment window, failing which “no-show” policy applies.

There is no limit, however, do note that rescheduling fee applies for each rescheduling. Also do note that you must sit for the first Assessment within twelve (12) months from the date of your application submission.

To cancel an assessment, you will need to login to your application and submit the cancellation.

If a candidate cancels no later than ten (10) calendar days before the scheduled assessment date or start date of remote assessment window will receive a full refund less $85.60 administrative fee (inclusive of GST). Any bank charges resulting from the refund will be borne by the candidate.

A candidate who does not reschedule or cancel the scheduled assessment will be considered as “no show” and will forfeit the full Assessment Fee.

For Remote Assessment, you would need to consider the technical requirements and test environment requirements. To help you decide, please refer to key information on Remote Proctoring for the complete details.

No, the performance of both groups of candidates (remote and onsite) are comparable. Candidates can be assured that choosing either mode of assessment will not affect your performance.

Visit the IHRP Recertification site for more information at https://www.ihrp.sg/recertification/

Visit the IHRP Recertification site for more information at https://www.ihrp.sg/recertification/

Visit the IHRP Recertification site for more information at https://www.ihrp.sg/recertification/

Visit the IHRP Recertification site for more information at www.ihrp.sg/recertification/faqs/

IHRP Connect is a learning platform where you can browse curated content on various Community of Practices and interact with the IHRP Community while IHRP Portal allows you to update your personal information, track CPD hours, enter external CPD activities, apply for recertification and skills badges, etc.

Please do not copy and paste the OTP verification code onto the code field. Instead, type the OTP digit codes manually.

Please uninstall the application and have it reinstalled again. You should then be able to login.
If you are still encountering login issue, please drop an email to community@ihrp.sg with a screenshot of the error you had encountered.

Kindly avoid login using the LinkedIn mode to log in into IHRP Connect as we are currently having technical challenges with that login mode. Instead, you will need to login via IHRP Portal first before logging in to IHRP Connect.

Try to login to the IHRP Portal with your registered email address. If it shows an error, please click on ‘ Sign up now ’ and use the same email address.

Once you have logged in to IHRP Portal, you will be able to see the orange “IHRP Button” where you can proceed to login accordingly.

To change your email address, you will need to create a new account with your new email address first.

Please click ‘Sign Up Now’ first to access IHRP Portal fill up the profile and the new email address. Once it has been created, do let us know via community@ihrp.sg and we will inform our IT team to merge your accounts together with your new email .

The IHRP Certification is the national certification framework and benchmarked against international HR best practices. IHRP Certification will serve as a benchmark in Singapore. As part of its mandate, IHRP is also working to establish mutual recognition arrangements between international HR certification bodies and IHRP, which will enable IHRP certified professionals to gain recognition under systems which share similar rigour and professional standing.

Companies today operate in a globalised business environment. The new world of work also comprises an increasingly mobile talent pool operating in a remote work setting. In order to keep abreast of these trends, IHRP and the international HR professional bodies intend to build a global and borderless HR community. We share a common vision to develop HR professionals who are globally connected and able to operate across borders to unlock the potential of people and enable transformation of business.

The mutual recognition offers IHRP certified professionals, particularly those with regional and global responsibilities the opportunity to obtain certifications from a well-regarded international HR professional body. It also enables a foreign-certified HR professional based in Singapore to be nationally recognised. The mutual recognition provides a rigorous testament of the professional standing and mastery of HR competencies that are future-oriented and progressive. HR professionals are also able to access the broader set of programmes, resources and communities offered by both organisations, thereby enabling opportunities for greater growth, mobility and international connectivity.

The bridging covers the eligibility criteria and assessment requirements from the respective HR professional bodies, which are not covered by the other party. You can refer to the details on the bridging requirements, process and fees on the partnership page.

Bridging Pathways

AHRI: https://www.ihrp.sg/ahri-partnership/

CIPD: https://www.ihrp.sg/cipd-partnership/

SHRM: https://www.ihrp.sg/ihrp-community/ihrp-shrm/

For respective professional bodies’ fee, please refer to their respective website.

For AHRI, https://www.ahri.com.au/hr-certification/membership-for-certified-hr-practitioners/

For SHRM, https://www.shrm.org/about-shrm/pages/membership.aspx

For CIPD, https://www.cipd.co.uk/membership/become-member/fees

For IHRP, there is a recertification fee of $481.50 (inclusive of GST) every three years.

Yes, however, you can count the same set of CPD activities towards fulfilling the requirements by the HR professional bodies respectively.

You will need to maintain the validity of your certification with the respective bodies, for the continued use of the professional credentials and access to the resources and benefits of each organisation.

Launched in November 2018, IHRP Corporate Partner Programme is an exclusive corporate-led initiative where organisations pledge their support to nurture a future-ready HR profession and champion IHRP Certification as the recognised HR standards of excellence.

This programme aims to acknowledge organisations that have adopted IHRP Certification as part of their Human Capital development effort and/or demonstrated exemplary support for their HR team to be IHRP-certified.

We welcome organisations from the public and private sector in Singapore to apply. To be eligible, you will need pledge to the following:

• Develop your HR team by encouraging them to embark on the IHRP Certification
• Indicate IHRP Certification as a preferred hiring criterion for HR job vacancies

*Organisations can receive a corporate competency profile report, that benchmarks the competencies of your team against the sector that you are in.

Interested organisation can submit their interest to IHRP at corporatepartnership@ihrp.sg

or Click here for more information.

Exclusive Networking Opportunities
Company leaders and certified professionals can have priority access to:

• Exclusive events, workshops, learning journeys and international roundtable discussions organised by IHRP
• Curated best HR practice resources and peer-learning opportunities through IHRP Connect

Publicity

• Recognised as a Corporate Partner on IHRP’s website
• Showcased in IHRP’s marketing and promotional collaterals for publicity, where appropriate
• Featured on selected print and social media platforms

IHRP Job Portal

Corporate Partners can also tap on the IHRP Job Portal to advertise their job postings* for HR-related positions that they are recruiting for.
*Job postings will need to indicate “IHRP Certification is preferred/is a plus”.

If you are an existing Partner and you would like us to advertise your job postings, please write into us at corporatepartnership@ihrp.sg

Click here to view the full list of our Corporate Partners.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) refers to learning and education activities that would help certified HR professionals to develop and maintain competencies and HR knowledge that enable them to be effective in their HR role.

IHRP-certified professionals are strongly encouraged to continue updating and upskilling themselves during their 3-year certification duration. For IHRP-CPs and IHRP-SPs, there is a 90-hour CPD requirement that needs to be fulfilled in order for them to meet the IHRP recertification eligibility criteria.

CPD hours can be earned through:

• collecting points via the IHRP Connect LMS system
• volunteer opportunities with IHRP
• continued learning through training courses, workshops, etc.

The 90 CPD hours may be accumulated through multi-modal learning opportunities including activities such as accredited courses, self-study, workshops and conferences, e-learning, IHRP Connect mobile platform learning and etc.

Find out more here.

You may refer to this list of IHRP accredited courses or look out for our biweekly IHRP newsletter for upcoming courses/ programmes that you can attend.

However, do note that you can attend courses, workshops or seminars from any provider as long as the courses/ programmes are HR-related or aligned with our IHRP Body of Competencies (BoC).

Note: For learning activities that do not seem to be directly HR related, we will accept it as long as you are able to justify how it can be applied to your HR work and how it is aligned to our IHRP BoC. 

You can find the full list of CPD activities at this link

The first step of your CPD Journey includes reflecting on the competency analysis from IHRP Development Report, which was received upon successful outcome of the On-site Assessment.

IHRP has also launched our very own mobile based learning platform IHRP Connect. This interactive platform enables IHRP-certified professionals to collaborate and engage within a qualified community, to access bite-sized learning materials, and to take charge of their development.

IHRP Connect is available for download on the Apps Store / Play Store. All certified professionals will receive access to IHRP Connect when they successfully achieve their IHRP certification.

You can log and track your CPD hours on the CPD tracker via the IHRP Portal.

A step-by-step guide with screenshots on how to log and track your CPD hours can be found here.

Please refer to individual training providers for enquiries on training subsidy for their courses.

Yes, if the course is approved for SkillsFuture Credit. Please visit https://www.skillsfuture.gov.sg/Credit for the list of courses which are eligible.

The IHRP’s Code of Professional Conduct has been developed to reflect the standards of professional conduct and behaviours for all Certified Professionals.

Implicit in the conferment of this professional certification is a requirement for certified members to comply with the mandates of all applicable laws and regulations, as well as take responsibility to act in an ethical and professionally responsible manner according to a set of core principles.

IHRP will convene a Disciplinary Committee to review if there has been a violation, and determine the appropriate course of action, including whether the certification will be revoked. If the certification is revoked, you will no longer be authorised to use the IHRP credentials.

The Human Capital Diagnostics Tool (HCDT) is a comprehensive yet simple-to-use organisational “health check” for companies of all sizes. Using insights from the diagnostics, organisations can make informed human capital decisions, such as where to invest their resources in order to better meet the needs of the business and its workforce.

The HCDT uses a 4-Stage maturity model. At each successive level of maturity, the HR function improves its functional efficiencies, talent management capabilities, organisational capabilities, and business impact. The higher an organisation’s maturity stage, the more sophisticated its processes and practices and the better positioned it will be in meeting business challenges.

The tool is currently complimentary for companies that undergo HCDT as part of specific government initiatives, e.g. HCP, SFE, etc. Walk-in companies (without any government initiatives) will be charged $1,364.25 for the assessment, $214 per organization report, and $133.75 for the optional HCPS. All prices are inclusive of GST.

The tool generates human capital recommendations based on one of the four possible Growth Stages, to help leaders prioritise their human capital process improvement efforts. In dialogue with a trained assessor, leaders can further align these recommendations to their organisation’s strategy.

Organisations can then embark on human capital projects to improve areas highlighted.

The assessment process is takes place over 2 half days during where assessors will speak with the CEO and HR Director and review policy documents (First day), followed by a share back of assessment results to CEO (Second day)

Assessors will also need to communicate with the HR staff prior to the first session to prepare them for the policy documents review on their first visit.

The IHRP playbooks include HR process, workflows, standard operating procedures, templates and case studies that shape a consistent response (HR plays) to identified business issues, challenges and themes (Business Plays).

Each specific Industry Playbook will aim to curate and consolidate Business and HR Plays that are relevant to the sector.

IHRP is in the midst developing a total of 5 Playbooks:

2 Industry Specific Playbooks

• Food Services
• Financial Services

3 Horizontal Playbooks (applicable across different sectors)

• Hybrid workplaces
• Work Transformation
• Automation and Digitalization

The Institute of Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) was commissioned by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to develop the playbook, with consultation with relevant sector agencies and business associations.

IHRP is also working with HR professionals and business leaders in the sector to curate and review the content for the community.

Please contact IHRP at hello@ihrp.sg  to indicate your interest in participating in the development of the playbook.

IHRP would also like to encourage interested HR professionals to join our certified community for more in-depth discussion and sharing of the other HR topics through IHRP Connect.

The playbooks will be rolled out in phases for trials and feedback. Please refer to IHRP’s social media channels for the latest news on Playbook launches.

IHRP is working with MOM, other sector agencies and our HR certified Community to review the need for more playbooks.

Payment is by credit card (VISA, Mastercard or AMEX) via online payment.

After the Application Summary, you will be brought to the Payment Details Page in your application. Select the Fee option and click on “Proceed to Payment”. This will bring you to the payment gateway.

Upon successful payment, you will receive an email notification and an e-receipt sent directly to your email address.

Assessment Fee paid is non-refundable and non-transferable. It is valid for twelve (12) months, from the date of your application submission. You must sit for the first Assessment (not including of any re-assessment) within the twelve (12)-month period, failing which, your application will be void. Within this twelve (12)-month period, you may reschedule, and rescheduling fee will apply.

IHRP reserves the rights to assign alternative assessment date due to unforeseen circumstances.  Such change of assessment dates initiated by IHRP will not be subjected to any re-scheduling fee.

A candidate whose Assessment date has been confirmed, but does not reschedule, cancel or attend the assessment will be considered a ‘no-show” and will forfeit the full Assessment Fee.

If the candidate requests to be rescheduled following a “no-show”, he or she will need to repay the full Assessment Fee before being rescheduled.

The On-Site Fee is to cover the operational costs of administering the IHRP Assessments at designated test centres such as test centre fee, invigilation fee, etc. and is payable in addition to the Assessment Fee for the respective Certification level.

There is no change in the IHRP Certification fees. The On-Site Fee is only levied on candidates that choose to take the IHRP Assessment at the designated test centres. It will not apply to candidates taking Remote Assessments.

No, there is no refund of On-Site Fee. In addition, there will be Rescheduling Fee.

Yes, you will need to pay for On-Site Fee in addition to the Rescheduling Fee.