By Lorie Hunchak

On March 9, 2011, Vancouver Island BC HRMA hosted The Practice of HR: A Conversation at the Victoria Marriott Harbourside.  This exciting event brought together HR subject-matter experts and students representing the next generation of HR professionals to share information on the provincial HR professional association and the current trends, best practices, and future of the HR profession.

The goal of the evening was two-fold: to assist in creating a student community between Vancouver Island’s colleges and universities offering programs related to HR, and to determine what the next generation of HR leaders want from their professional association.

With more than 70 students in attendance from a variety of programs at post-secondary institutions on Vancouver Island, there was lots of dialogue at the fifteen tables hosted by HR subject-matter experts. Table hosts shared information about their topic area and answered any questions from students. The students circulated among the tables, attending those conversations that were of interest to them.  Topic areas at the conversation tables included HR as a strategic partner; research and metrics; labour relations; and creating healthy workplaces.

Students were looking to their future, asking questions along the following predominant themes:

• What is the work involved in each HR practice area?
• What are the specific challenges associated with each HR practice area?
• What current employment opportunities exist?
• What does the future hold for HR practitioners in BC?

Students were also looking to the future when addressing the question “What do you want from your BC HRMA?” Responses included:

CHRP

• Promote the advantages and value of the CHRP designation to students.
• Provide information on the process of acquiring CHRP (e.g., costs, exams, time commitment, etc.).
• Offer a Q&A session with recent CHRP graduates.

Education

• Provide career development and knowledge support, as well as resources to answer HR-related questions.
• Offer seminars and other learning opportunities.
• Establish a student advisory committee.

Promotion

• Market and promote the benefits of the BC HRMA to post-secondary institutions and establish strong alliances with teachers and students.
• Form partnerships with other associations (e.g., management and accounting associations).
• Promote mingles and networking events for newcomers.
• Look at social networking opportunities.
• Provide guest speakers at colleges and universities.

Employment

• Keep members apprised of employment and career development opportunities in the HR field.
• Provide mentoring opportunities and advice on how to acquire employment in the HR profession.
• Encourage member organizations to offer co-op positions, internship programs, and job shadowing opportunities.

For more information on BC HRMA membership and services, please visit www.bchrma.org.

Lorie Hunchak, CHRP, is the president of IH and Associates Consulting Ltd.  As a human resources consultant, Lorie focuses on delivering high quality results and solutions to complex organizational issues and facilitates a range of leadership, personal accountability, change management and employee retention and development programs.

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