On March 3 – 4, 2017, the next generation of HR leadership from across Western Canada converged on the Richmond campus of event co-sponsor Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) for the 4th Annual HRC West Case Competition.

Co-sponsored by Ultimate Software, HRC West was a partner initiative driven by Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of British Columbia and Yukon (CPHR BC & YK) and the Human Resources Institute of Alberta (HRIA). The two-day case competition marked the first trip across the Rockies for the HRC West Competition, and attracted a notable increase in numbers. With nine teams from B.C. and six from Alberta, the 2017 competition grew considerably from 10 competing schools just the year before, while the dynamic remained unchanged—applying their classroom knowledge to a true-to-life HR business case.

Okanagan College’s comprised Christina Klein and Adrianna Knuth took top honours at HRC West.

Top honours of the 2017 HRC West went to Okanagan College’s “Triumph Consulting,” comprised of Adrianna Knuth and Christina Klein, with second place being awarded to MacEwan University’s “Storm Solutions,” third to University of Alberta’s “Paradigm Consulting,” and fourth to Vancouver Island University’s “Threat Level Midnight” team.

“Events like the HRC West Case Competition are critical to the development and celebration of the human resources profession. It was a great experience to welcome a room filled with top HR talent in the making and know that I was looking at the leadership of tomorrow today,” said Anthony Ariganello, CPHR, President and CEO, CPHR BC &YK.

Called upon to step into the shoes of an HR consultancy, each team was presented with the scenario, crafted by a professional case writer, and given three hours to prepare their presentation. In turn, a total of 15 HR professionals from the two associations volunteered their expertise to serve as judges a.k.a. would-be-clients, with a final round of four presentations judged by a three-professional panel in KPU’s Melville Centre for Dialogue to a room of over 150 peers and mentors.

“The calibre of talent being attracted to and developed by HR programs in post-secondary institutions across Canada is testament to the growing leadership role HR is stepping into. Each and every one of the students in the HRC West Case Competition are already thinking along those strategic lines of impact. That is the HR they know today and that will serve a lot of businesses well tomorrow,” said CPHR BC & YK chair TJ Schmaltz, CPHR who presented the final honours.

The full list of participating teams included: Ascenda School of Management, Camosun College, Capilano University, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, MacEwan University, Mount Royal, NAIT, Okanagan College, Vancouver Island University, Simon Fraser University, Thompson Rivers University, University of Alberta, University of Lethbridge and UBC Sauder School of Business.

Planning for the 2018 HRC West Case Competition is already underway, with a return across the Rockies to be hosted in Alberta.

Watch a video of the 2017 event!