From a posting on UKHRD:

"I was very disappointed to read the initial views and comments expressed by the IPD's new vice president, Lesley James, on the front page of 'PersonnelToday', Tuesday 26th October. I hope that she was either misquoted or that her comments have been taken out of context.

"The view that some entrants view the HR profession as a 'soft option' is not one I have encountered to the extent that I would view it as a crucial issue for the IPD to address. Most of the people I have encountered in this
profession are only too aware of the challenges and obstacles they will face in the development of their careers and in achieving success with their work.

"Ms James urges us all to focus on the business issues that confront our respective employers or clients. A view everyone would agree with, I think.

It would be a good idea for Ms James to listen to her own advice and recognise that a toughening up of the IPD's qualification structure will not help its members achieve the very challenge she urges us to focus on.

"The needs of many members of the IPD have already been recognised as not being met by the current qualification structure. But it is not a question of toughening them up as Ms James suggests, more a case of weeding out the
irrelevant and ensuring that a flexible and appropriate response and development pathway exists. I hope this is what Ms James meant, otherwise the pursuit of this objective would be a misguided exercise that will lead to the annexing and ostracising of many IPD members."
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