“By introducing the HR apprenticeship program, we’re really giving people a way to upskill someone, either as an entry-level or even within the organization,” says Mary Wright, apprenticeship program manager, SHRM Foundation.

WorkingNation sat down with Wright at SHRM 2022 Annual Conference & Expo in New Orleans.

She says, “You really have to start looking at skills and competencies that people are bringing to the table. We’ve got to start looking at different talent groups and bringing them into the organization. You need to be looking at untapped talent groups – whether that’s veterans, people with disabilities, people of color, or people coming out of the criminal justice system –you still have to say, ‘How do we get those people into the workplace?’”

She says, “There are certain skills and competencies that we have identified over the years as being critical for an HR specialist or HR generalist to have. So that’s around employment law, training, recruitment, learning and development. Certainly, diversity and inclusion has been added as another set of competencies that people need know.”

But Wright notes that there are skills that HR professionals, themselves, need to have. “That’s around decision making, team building, and communication skills. It’s a cross between the skills and competencies around technical knowledge, but also the aptitude to be a good HR professional.”Learn more about the SHRM Foundation.