At a successful Extraordinary General Meeting held in London yesterday, the full members of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) voted overwhelmingly in favour of making a formal application to the Privy Council to give the Institute power to permit all its full members to use the title ìcharteredî.
Over 45 % of full members of the Institute participated in the vote, with 98.8% of those voting in favour. The Electoral Reform Ballot Services confirmed that this was an exceptionally high turn out, with online voting being particularly high at 15%.
CIPD Director General Geoff Armstrong said: ìIn July 2000 we received our Royal Charter in recognition of our contribution to the field of people management. At that time we made an important promise - to seek approval
to award individual chartered title when the time was right.
ìThe title ëcharteredí will confirm to employers that they are employing a knowledgeable people management professional, who understands the wider business context and who is committed to continuing professional development.î
A formal letter has now been sent to the Privy Council seeking approval to change the CIPDís byelaws. Assuming approval, the CIPD expect that all existing full members and those who become full members after 1st October this year, will be able to call themselves chartered from this date.
The CIPD intends that the new chartered status will act as a trigger to encourage an even greater commitment to continuing professional development (CPD). CPD will be a key requirement for chartered members and the CIPD will continue to sample the development activity of members on a regular and random basis.
Chartered membership of the CIPD will become a hallmark in the same way it is for other professionals including accountants and engineers.
The institute will also be working with recruitment agencies to ensure that individual chartered status is used in adverts aimed at recruiting experienced people management professionals.
Adds Armstrong: ìThis title makes it much more straightforward for employers searching for experienced practitioners. It tells them that an individual using the title has reached an externally verified set of standards, that they understand the theory of people management and most importantly that they can apply it in practice.
ìThis is particularly important in todayís knowledge economy, where effective management and development of people is the key to sustainable future.î
The CIPD polled all of its 35,000 full members.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has over 117,000 members and is the leading professional body for those involved in the management and development of people.
CIPD members vote ìyesî to individual chartered status
.