The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development is launching a new qualification for HRD professionals in reward management.

The Advanced Certificate in Reward Management is said to be in recognition of the increasingly specialised nature of reward within human resources management.

The CIPD said its latest reward survey showed that many organisations are adopting a strategic approach to the area, with reviews of the reward systems, their benefits packages and their pension schemes. As well as focusing on how their reward approaches are best communicated to staff and demonstrating the impact of interventions on the bottom line.

Charles Cotton, CIPD Reward adviser, said: "Reward is becoming the 'must have' for those with ambitions to rise to the top of the profession. It is at the centre of many of the issues facing organisations, such as linking executive remuneration to organisational performance, providing affordable retirement programmes and rewarding employee contribution in a non-discriminatory way."

Modules include base and variable Pay, benefits, pensions and shares and reward in context.