HRCI Announces Reinstatement Program, SPHRi Exam Changes for 2018 and Accreditation of International Credentials

HR Certification Institute® (HRCI®) made three important announcements at the recent SHRM 2017 Annual Conference & Exposition held in New Orleans. HRCI announced a new reinstatement program for qualifying HR professionals, changes to the 2018 SPHRi Exam Content Outline, and accreditation of its international credentials.

Here’s what you need to know:

HRCI announced that HR professionals with credentials that expired between May 1, 2013, and May 31, 2017, may be able to participate in the HRCI Certification Reinstatement Program. The program is a response to HR practitioners who indicated that they mistakenly let their HRCI certifications expire because they believed they were getting their HRCI credentials recertified, converted or transferred when SHRM announced its own certification program in May 2014.

This is a one-time-only opportunity for those eligible for reinstatement. The program begins July 1, 2017, and will conclude June 30, 2018.

For reinstatement, eligible professionals must submit at least 60 credits, affirm that they are currently practicing as HR professionals and submit a $500 fee. Credit activities must have been earned between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2017, and may include seminars and self-directed learning, as well as professionals and on-the-job achievements.

"The most important step for those who are seeking reinstatement is to visit the HR Certification Reinstatement Program webpage and provide current contact information, which may have changed," urges Dania Eter, MBA, Chief Credentialing and Products Portfolio Officer for HRCI. "HRCI will proactively respond to provide more information about eligibility, account setup and next steps for completing the reinstatement program."

Read more about the HRCI reinstatement announcement.

HRCI now has six accredited, professional-level HR certifications as part of its suite of credentials for HR professionals. The Professional in Human Resources – International™ (PHRi™) and the Senior Professional in Human Resources – International™ (SPHRi™) have received accreditation from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). NCCA is recognized as a top authority on certification accreditation, providing third-party validation that HRCI credentials validly demonstrate various levels of practice-driven competency in the HR field.

HRCI is the only organization with nationally recognized NCCA accreditation of HR credentials.

"HRCI remains committed to the highest certification standards by seeking and maintaining accreditation from the NCCA," Eter says. "The evaluation leading up to accreditation is rigorous, and includes an extensive organizational review of not only the certification exams, but also the organization’s processes, governing body, bylaws, ethics, financial stability, policy and procedures, including confidentiality, security and much more."

Other NCCA-accredited HR certifications from HRCI include the Professional in Human Resources® (PHR®), the Professional in Human Resources – California® (PHRca®), the Senior Professional in Human Resources® (SPHR®) and the Global Professional in Human Resources® (GPHR®).

Read more about the accreditation of HRCI international HR certifications.

The framework for the 2018 SPHRi credential, HRCI announced, will embrace more emphasis on HR analytics and HR as an international business driver. Changes, which are highlighted in the 2018 SPHRi Certification Exam Content Outline, were made to better align with current international HR practices.

The SPHRi exam content changes will go into effect for certification candidates taking the exam on or after January 1, 2018.

HRCI periodically conducts extensive practice analyses to ensure that certification candidates are tested on current HR best practices, workforce trends and competencies. The SPHRi analysis involved HR professionals from around the world.