SHRM academy offers more classes, fits with conference flow - Inside SHRM - 55th Annual Conference and Exposition, the Society for Human Resource Management - Brief Article

HR Magazine, April, 2003 by Beth McConnell

At the 55th Annual Conference and Exposition, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is offering the SHRM Academy as an integrated part of the conference, said Barbara Sadek, SPHR, SHRM's director of education.

Participants in the SHRM Academy can choose one course to take June 21 and June 22, then choose one course each for June 23 and June 24. The classes, which help HR professionals sharpen their business skills, are structured to allow participants to attend each day's general session, Sadek said.

"The new format will allow attendees to experience the best of both worlds: the excitement of the keynote sessions and the in-depth classroom learning of the academy," Sadek said.

The SHRM Academy debuted at last year's annual conference in Philadelphia as a pre-conference offering. The SHRM Academy then was scheduled to be held three times over the past fall and spring. Multiple courses in each of the five domains--finance, strategy; marketing, information and operations, and implementation management--are offered through the academy.

This year, SHRM Academy attendees can choose from seven courses in three domains--finance, strategy and implementation management--so that participants can take three courses while still attending some of the popular sessions at the conference.

Participants are eligible to receive continuing education credits and recertification credits for the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) designations.

They also may receive certificates for three different levels of study: completion of one course; completion of three courses in one domain; and completion of 12 courses, three courses from within each of four domains.