Human Resources Professional Development (HRPD) Program

Overview and Purpose

The Office of State Human Resources (OSHR) is responsible for ensuring Human Resources Administration for the State of North Carolina and others as designated, including the attraction, selection, motivation, leadership, understanding and utilization of employees as individuals and as members of a work group in accomplishing the objectives of State government. 

To address the growing need for state human resources (HR) employee professional development and offer tailored provisions to Agency supervisors, OSHR is proud to announce the Human Resources Professional Development (HRPD) program. The HRPD is a training initiative customized specifically for North Carolina state government to offer enhanced professional development opportunities and a certificate program to HR staff in State Agencies. The HRPD contains a rich library of HR training classes across all OSHR program areas and includes in-person, virtual, and on-demand modules, as well as additional resources. Resources are organized in one central location via the HRPD site page in the Learning Management System (LMS) and are currently available at no cost to State Agencies.

HRPD Program Highlights

HR Professionals

• HR training offered in every human resources program area which includes core and foundational courses
• Certificate for eligible Agency program area Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who complete all training offered in their program area
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) continuing education credits
• Additional training and resources to complement the HRPD-specific opportunities

State Supervisors and Hiring Managers 

• Targeted supervisor training is currently available or in development across all topic areas

Additional Training Offered by OSHR for All State Government Employees and Individual Contributors

All State Supervisors and Hiring Managers

• Advanced Skills for Managers (ASM)
• North Carolina Certified Public Manager (CPM)

All State Government Employees and Individual Contributors

• Leading at All Levels (LAAL)
• Professional development playlists

Authority

North Carolina Administrative Code establishes, “The Office of State Human Resources shall be responsible for statewide planning, coordination and review of human resource development programs, as well as for direct delivery of some specified interagency training.” OSHR has assessed the market, examined industry best practices, prioritized addressing Agency turnover and recognized that the human resources workforce holds employer investment in their professional development to the highest regard. Prospective and current employees want to feel empowered and part of something bigger than their current job. Providing comprehensive training through the HRPD is an investment in our HR teams and our state agencies. This initiative is just one way OSHR supports state HR Professionals as they address the ever-evolving dynamics in the field of HR.

HRPD Program Components

Core Training and Foundational Courses

Key content is categorized as core in each program area. Specifically, core training courses offer essential knowledge that an Agency SMEs would need proficiency in to be successful in their position. Core training will be dynamically assigned to the Agency lead HR SMEs’ learning profile for easy access. Agency Human Resources Directors (HRDs), or designees, may also request courses to be dynamically assigned to the HR program SMEs that are not leads. For Agency HR SMEs and Human Resources Directors (HRDs) that are new in role and/or new to state government, OSHR recommends all core training be completed within the first 3 months of employment and no later than the first 6 months of employment, recognizing that some trainings are offered on a quarterly basis. For HR SMEs that have an LMS record of previously completing the training module, it will not be reassigned. Agency HRDs will be provided with a list of core classes to complete and are strongly encouraged to complete the training to make informed decisions, review documents that require their signature and understand reports. 

In addition to the core training for Agency HR SMEs, the HRPD highlights complementary foundational training. Through these courses, OSHR offers comprehensive information on applying state policy and best practices within their HR programs. For example, the Performance Management HRPD core courses cover the annual evaluation process and performance management policy overview. The foundational courses provide content on continual coaching, connecting work to state government values, acceptable workplace behaviors and writing SMART goals. On each program area page, HR SMEs will be able to view all active training offered in the topic area, read course descriptions and register for the training in the LMS.

Each Agency HRD shall designate one lead SME for each HR program area to be OSHR’s primary contact and be dynamically assigned training. Because agencies vary in size and some Agency HR SMEs serve as leads for multiple HR programs, OSHR will collaborate with agencies to create customized training plans as needed.

HR Professional Certificate and Updates

Upon roll out of the HRPD training program, SMEs in Classification and Compensation (C&C), Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Employee Relations (ER), Talent Acquisition (TA) and Workers’ Compensation (WC) will be eligible to earn an OSHR HR Professional Certificate upon successfully completing necessary modules. Additional training will be developed on an ongoing basis to model innovative training standards, prepare and educate state HR professionals about new or revised policies and expand current offerings to cover a wider range of HR topics areas. As we expand training modules, additional OSHR program areas will offer a certificate program for Agency HR SMEs.

OSHR’s certificate-eligible courses are outlined in the HRPD online central library and categorized by topic area. Certificate program eligibility requirements are detailed below:

• To highlight their proficiency, Agency HR SMEs are eligible to receive a certificate in their current program area. Completing the required training and achieving a program area certificate will provide Agency HR employees with knowledge OSHR deems necessary to be the most successful in their role. For HR SMEs working in more than one area, only those HR SMEs with at least 50 percent of their role dedicated to the HR program in question are automatically eligible to pursue a certificate. The Agency HRD may request other employees’ participation in a program if a HR employee does not meet the threshold.
• As the Agency’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Agency HRDs are eligible to participate in all certificate programs and achieve multiple certificates.
• In each module, participants’ understanding will be assessed through both formal and informal knowledge checks that must be completed successfully to receive credit for the course. To provide a documented training mechanism that captures updates that are part of the certificate program, OSHR will facilitate an annual review of new and/or revised content during the end of year program area network meeting.
• Agency HR SMEs must complete the most current version of each training course to be eligible to receive their certificate. OSHR will audit each training transcript to ensure that the employee has received the most up-to-date training based on current laws and best practices.
• Participation in Advanced Learning Labs is required for certificate eligibility. Advanced Learning Labs, foundational courses offered in each certificate program, are designed to tackle more complex issues. A HR SME needs to be regularly working in the field to contribute to the Lab exercises. For this reason, only HRDs and SMEs that serve as practitioners with at least 50 percent of their time dedicated to a related HR program can enroll to participate in the Advanced Learning Labs.
• Agency HR SMEs report completion of certificate-eligible courses to OSHR and copy their Agency HRD (or designee) to request their certificate. After auditing the training transcript to ensure the Agency HR SME has completed all required training, OSHR will send the certificate to the Agency HRD (or designee) to be presented to the Agency HR SME. Agency HRDs may choose to have a ceremony to recognize certificate achievement.

SHRM Credit

As an added benefit, at least one course, available or planned, in each OSHR program area is eligible for SHRM recertification credit at no cost to State Agency HR Professionals. As of October 2024, there are 20 courses eligible for SHRM credit. As more courses are developed, additional SHRM credit eligible courses are planned.

Additional Resources for State HR Employees

• State Human Resources Policy Manual: For specific policy questions, HR professionals are encouraged to utilize the State Human Resources Policy document organized by HR area. The manual is provided in both a searchable and printable format.
• External Resources: HR-related learning opportunities offered outside of state government are also identified on the HRPD webpage. Relevant courses offered by other vendors and entities such as the UNC School of Government (SOG), for example, are linked on the respective program area pages. Utilizing external to state government resources adds a broader view around state policies and best practices, while also offering employees a valuable opportunity to network with other HR employees across the state.

HRPD State Supervisor/Hiring Manager Training

The HRPD supervisor courses are specifically created by OSHR SMEs and designed to support supervisors in applying core HR policies in their role with agencies. They cover HR basics including best practices and policy guidelines to support supervisors with the knowledge they need to apply HR policies as successful leaders. The HRPD currently offers supervisor training in some program areas with plans to offer basic supervisor training in every HR program area by Spring 2025.

Agency Human Resources offices will be able to help guide supervisors to these resources. Right now, completed modules are available in the general LMS with plans to provide the supervisor courses in a central location on the LMS that can be easily accessed by all Agency Supervisors/Hiring Managers.

Future Plans

The HRPD future plans include developing additional training modules catered to HR Professionals at all levels and tenure, offering certificate programs in more OSHR program areas. HR training will be regularly updated to reflect policy changes, statutes, etc. At the end of each year—starting in the fourth quarter of 2025—OSHR will provide SMEs who have already been trained with a resource on annual changes during the yearly recap meeting.

Plans also include expansion of HR-related training for leaders across state government, both supervisors/hiring managers and individual contributors.

OSHR is committed to the sustainability of the HRPD program by dedicating resources to ensure the HRPD will continue to grow as new training courses are developed and Agency needs evolve.

Training Resources for HR And Non-HR State Employees

HR professionals are encouraged to register for these courses as time permits.

Training Opportunities and Resources Available to All State Supervisors and Hiring Managers

Beyond the HRPD, state supervisors and hiring managers are also encouraged to take advantage of the Advanced Skills for Managers (ASM) program available to all state, local government and university employees through the OSHR Learning and Development center. This course aims to equip supervisors at multiple levels to lead high performing teams by developing coaching, leading and conflict management skills.

Upon completion of prerequisites, which include the ASM program, North Carolina middle managers from state, federal, local and tribal government agencies are eligible to participate in the North Carolina Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program. CPM is a comprehensive, competency-based, nationally accredited professional development program. The blend of intensive instructor-led classroom sessions and post-class asynchronous assignments are designed to enable agencies and universities to attract, motivate, develop, and retain a competent, diverse workforce to meet their business objectives by enhancing the effectiveness of Agency middle managers.

Training Opportunities and Resources Available to All State Government Employees and Individual Contributors

Additional training opportunities are available to all state employees, such as Leading at All Levels (LAAL) which covers competency areas such as integrity, leading people and teamwork, managing work, creating a learning climate, change leadership, technical and professional knowledge and customer service.

State employees can also access professional development training playlists created by OSHR to enhance their knowledge and complement core training in their program area. Playlists are updated continuously and cover a variety of topics including performance management, time management, teamwork and collaboration, etc.