Happy New Year!
I hope that 2024 has started off in a positive direction for each and everyone of you. Since the last report, the Board has been busy – with a very productive meeting held in December of 2023. The Board’s December meeting was focused on strategy, and we spent two days reflecting on, and updating the Board’s strategic plan. The Strategic Plan is a road map that helps define where efforts and resources are focused, and an updated plan will be published to the website in the coming weeks – we are in the final review of the updated document at this time.
Future of Credentials Research
In the last report, I outlined that the Board has been using the forecasting research developed by the Institute of Credentialing Excellence (ICE) to help focus discussions on the key drivers of change affecting the BCRSP as a certification body. The Board engaged in a prioritization survey exercise using the research tool to help prioritize areas of impact and future discussions at meetings.
IDEA Task Force
The IDEA Task Force’s mandate has been extended to June 2024, and the task force is actively engaged in data analysis both from the recent salary survey, and from the renewal survey data. I know that some certificants have expressed concern as to why we are asking these demographic questions. The Board is committed to inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility, and data analysis is a foundational step. The Board wants to understand whether the demographics of certified OHS professionals in Canada, reflect the Canadian population at large. The questions are consistent with data available from Statistics Canada for comparison purposes. If there are significant variables found in the analysis, it will provide the Board a focal point for research into understanding why, and what unintentional barriers there are for entry either into the profession, or to becoming certified. This will inform marketing outreach strategies, and other initiatives. Please remember that all the questions on the demographics survey are optional, you can either not answer them, or select 'prefer not to respond', so if you are uncomfortable sharing any of the data, you do not have to do so. This survey will become part of the annual renewal process, so we are able to capture updates on an annual basis.
Collaboration
The Board continues its focus on collaborative discussions, and I have had meetings with the Canadian Registration Board of Occupational Hygiene (CRBOH), the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), the Alberta Society of Health and Safety Professionals (ASHSP), and the Canadian College for the Certification of Ergonomists (CCCPE). As part of the ongoing work of the Board, we meet regularly with these organisations to discuss areas of mutual interest and collaboration.
Perceived Value of Certification Research
A note of thanks to all certificants and employers who responded to the Perceived Value of Certification research survey. The Board reviewed the Perceived Value of Certification data at the December meeting. The Communications Committee will use this data to identify opportunities for continuous improvement in our outreach and marketing efforts.
Highlights include:
- Almost four out of five respondents would recommend earning a CRSP/CRST designation (79%). This recommendation level is excellent and considering the 31% response rate and sample size of 1,760, this is highly likely to be representative of BCRSP certification holders in total.
- We asked respondents about the ways that employers recognized their BCRSP certification. The highest reported recognition includes acknowledgement within the organization (37%), increased opportunities to attend professional conferences (28%) and an increased salary (24%).
- From the employer survey, 90% would recommend earning a CRSP/CRST, and 62% say that having a CRSP or CRST certification is a preference for hiring.
A summary of findings is available here.
2023 Salary Survey
The 2023 Salary survey report was published in late 2023 on the BCRSP website. A total of 5,091 survey invites garnered a response rate of 32.5%. BCRSP executes a Salary Survey every second year, and it highlights key demographic and employment variables of certificants. For more information on the 2023 report, click here.
Volunteer Recognition
I had the opportunity to present an update on the BCRSP during the inaugural Volunteer Appreciation event (virtual) held in November of 2023. 95.45% of survey respondent attendees found the BCRSP update provided during the event was of interest, so we will continue to include an update as part of any volunteer recognition events in the future. A thank you also to our keynote speaker Kathy Seabrook, CSP, CFIOSH, EurOSHM, FASSP, CEO, Global Solutions, Inc. who presented on: ESG, Sustainability and the Safety & Health Professional: Risk or Opportunity? If you are not a BCRSP volunteer, and are interested in volunteering for a committee, please complete the volunteer interest form and your name will be added to the volunteer waiting list. Thank you to all the BCRSP volunteers who support this organization, the Board appreciates the work that you do.
In 2024, we will be re-introducing opportunities for certificants to connect in person in conjunction with our Governing Board meetings, and other events where BCRSP has a presence (e.g., existing tradeshows or conferences). Watch for information on these opportunities to network in your email inbox.
If you have any feedback for the Governing Board, you can send via e-mail. I hope you have a safe and healthy 2024.
Paul Belair, BASc, MBA, CRSP
Governing Board Chair