Developing new proficiencies for human resource and industrial relations professionals

Enhancing the effectiveness of human resource and industrial relations professionals requires developing during their education and training the proficiencies they must be able to demonstrate when they enter the labor market. These proficiencies reflect their ability to combine traditional content and acquired skills in creative ways that add value to their employers. Implementing a proficiencies approach requires identifying the needed proficiencies, assessing the effectiveness of master's degree programs in producing these proficiencies, and identifying gaps to be filled. A qualify function deployment process is used to assess the leveraging power of content knowledge and acquired skills in developing these proficiencies.