In the first of a series of articles looking at training membership bodies, TrainingZONE focuses on the biggest of the bunch - the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

How much does it cost?
For new members joining in 2006/07:

• Non studying grades: £113 admission fee plus £113 subscription (reduced to £57 if joining between January and April 2007).


• Studying grades: £40 admission fee plus £113 subscription (reduced to £90 if joining between January and April 2007).

What do you get for your money?
Career boosters such as CIPD qualifications and professional recognition. Membership is often a requirement in job adverts and provides evidence of professional credentials when tendering.

Access to professional resources for keeping informed and up-to date, including books, publications and toolkits; company profiles; a library; member-only website resources; online journals and magazines; People Management magazine (fortnightly); surveys, reports and research; e-mail alerts, news and newsletters; and employment law resources.

Networking and development opportunities, including local branch and community events, conferences and exhibitions, special interest forums and over 130 training courses and certificate programmes.

Discounts on professional indemnity insurance, books, training courses, conferences and other products and services.

History
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development started life in 1913 as the Welfare Workers' Association, with a membership of 34 (29 of whom were women). The growing association went through five name changes between 1917 and 1924, and began publishing a professional journal (which has morphed over the years into the People Management journal of today). In 1931 the association changed its name to The Institute of Labour Management in order to attract members from the mainly male-dominated labour management sector that had expanded rapidly during the 1920s. In 1946 the name was changed again, to The Institute of Personnel Management (IPM), reflecting the growth in the concept of personnel management.

In 1955, the Institute moved towards restricting entry into full membership via examination and expanded its book publishing function. From the 1960s onwards, various committees were formed to influence opinion, including an Education and Training Committee. In 1994, after an earlier abortive attempt, the IPM merged with the Institute of Training and Development to become the Institute of Personnel and Development. Chartered status was achieved in 2000 and the CIPD came into existence from 1 July of that year.

Why join? The CIPD says:
“The CIPD is the professional body for all those involved in the management and development of people. Our wide range of services is designed to help professionals at every stage of their careers, and to ensure they have the tools to stay at the forefront of the profession. We offer credible and relevant qualifications, valued by employers because of their breadth and rigour. We’re also a leading research organisation. Our members benefit from the thought-leadership we offer, and the work we do to ensure the theory is translated into practical advice and guidance. In turn, many of our members get actively involved in our research, offering opinions, experience and case studies.

“Becoming a member of the CIPD will place you in good company, enhance your career prospects and give you greater recognition within the profession and among your peers.” (Martyn Sloman, Learning and Development Adviser, CIPD.)

Pros and cons – a member says:
Tom Harlow, Learning and Development Manager at The Football Association, qualified as a graduate CIPD member following completion of a MSc in HR last year after being an affiliated member during his three years of study. “I joined primarily to provide myself and my organisation with the latest in best practice, case studies and research across a range of HRM practice from training and development, appraisals and competencies to selection methods and the latest in employment law,” says Tom, who apart from TrainingZONE and a number of informal networks, has not joined any other membership body.

Tom considers membership to be generally good value for money, as it provides access to a wide range of resources from the website, while “People Management always provides useful commentary on the latest HRM trends,” he says. In the past year, he has made practical use of the CIPD's Training and Development Survey, as well as fact sheets on competencies and selection methods. He doesn’t have an issue with how well training is represented by the Institute, compared to HR, since he believes training and HR are too mixed to separate.

However, he believes there could be “better use of local networks as the branch membership opportunities in London seem fairly limited geographically.” He adds that “the website could also be easier to navigate with less overlap across the subject headings (for example Learning and Development and Training are separate areas)”. He would also like to see “more recognition of internal communications as an integral part of HR and therefore guides, hints and case studies for practitioners”. Having found the standard of teaching was mixed during his own studies, he adds that “efforts need to be made for more business-focused HR professionals to deliver the CIPD qualifications.”

TrainingZONE says:
The CIPD is the largest and most recognised membership body for training and development. TrainingZONE members tell us that they find the events good for networking and the resources such as the website, library, books and reports useful for keeping up-to-date. But there are often complaints that the Institute is too HR-focussed, and that the quality of colleges providing CIPD qualifications is patchy.

Contact details:

CIPD
151 The Broadway, London SW19 1JQ
www.cipd.co.uk
Phone 020 8612 6200
Fax 020 8612 6201