The IHRP Body of Competencies (BoC) outlines the essential skills and competency standards required of HR professionals to stay future-focused, ready to deliver impactful employee experiences and create sustainable business value for the organisation. Developed through extensive research and industry validation, it incorporates global HR standards and trends such as digitalisation, sustainability, and employee experience. The refreshed BoC helps ensure that HR professionals are equipped with the necessary competencies to meet the evolving demands of the workplace. For detailed information regarding the history and past refresh of the BoC, visit our Context and Methodology page.

The refreshed BoC has been updated to keep up with rapidly accelerating technological changes, demographics shifts, economic uncertainty and the increasing importance of sustainability. Additionally, HR professionals must take on more strategic and complex roles to deliver business value and accelerate transformations for their organisations.

The 2024 refresh also identified six key trends that will inform the way HR professionals needs to evolve to stay competitive and future-proof the fast-paced environment, for further insights into how these trends influenced the 2024 refresh, please visit the Context and Methodology page.

We are committed to helping you understand and apply the Refreshed BoC. This includes detailed case studies that illustrate real-world applications of the competencies. You can find the case studies here.  

IHRP has partnerships with three international HR professional bodies with their own competency frameworks: CIPD, AHRI and SHRM. The BoC was developed and refreshed using a comparative analysis of these competency frameworks which identified potential areas of further development within the BoC and guarantees that the competencies you acquire meet the highest global benchmarks, providing you with confidence in your skills and knowledge, no matter where your career takes you.

Yes, your certification is still valid for three years from the issuing date. Despite the refresh, your current certification remains recognised. To keep your certification active, continue participating in our professional development activities and stay informed about the latest HR trends. This will help you remain at the forefront of the HR profession, ensuring you have the necessary future-proofed skills and knowledge to succeed.

Yes, you are still relevant in today’s market. The refresh aims to enhance and expand competencies to address new trends and challenges in HR. You already possess essential skills and knowledge, and the new competencies will help enhance on your existing knowledge. We encourage you to continue your professional learning and stay updated with the latest trends to future-proof yourself and add business value to your organisation.

No, you do not need to include the new BoC elements for recertification. Simply complete 45 hours (across three years) of professional development and pay the fee of S$490.50 (including prevailing GST). This process ensures you maintain your certification without requiring adjustments to the new BoC elements.  However, to remain relevant and updated on latest trends in the business and HR landscape, we encourage you to continue your professional learning and upskill yourself to continue to add value to your business.

Assessment questions reflecting the new BoC will be available in 2025, as IHRP needs to undertake a Questions Bank update project after the refreshed BOC is launched. We will notify the HR community of the new assessment questions and provide ample time for preparation. If you apply for an upgrade after the assessments have been updated to reflect the Refreshed BoC, you will be tested on the refreshed BoC.

If you retake the assessment in 2024, it will be based on the previous BoC. By 2025, all reassessments will be based on the refreshed BoC. We will notify the HR community of the new assessment questions and provide ample time for preparation.

If you take the assessment in 2024, it will be based on the previous BoC. By 2025, all assessments will be based on the refreshed BoC.  You can download the previous BoC (version 2.0) at this link.

The refreshed BoC is not more difficult but more comprehensive.  A few more new competency areas (e.g. Sustainability and Wellbeing) have been added to reflect the latest HR trends and practices. Both versions are designed to assess your HR skills comprehensively. In 2024, you'll be tested on the previous BoC. In 2025, we will notify the HR community of our new assessment questions and provide ample time for preparation. Choose based on your assessment timing and your preparedness for the updated competencies.

You can find the previous BoC at this link.

No, the certificates will not differentiate between the refreshed BoC and the previous one.

Currently, the materials on LearnWorlds are based on the previous BoC. We will update them to reflect the refreshed BoC before the new assessment questions are released.

No, the format or structure of the assessments remains. The refreshed BoC will only affect the content of the HR competency papers. Please refer here to see the format of the assessment papers.

No, the application process remains the same, which can be signed up for here.