REWARD
Elaine Gibson MSc ChFCIPP FHEA MCMI, consultant – learning and development, People Transformations, shares her journey to Chartered status My Chartered journey
W hen I was invited to share my journey about achieving CIPP Chartered status, I thought where do I start? So, I ‘ve used my experience as a case study. My payroll career started 30 plus years ago, working for a firm of accountants and undertaking accountancy qualifications. That’s where I discovered my passion for payroll. I’m sure some of you will find similarities with me, as I didn’t apply for a payroll position – the profession found me. My career journey I was full of enthusiasm to progress, so imagine my delight when I discovered the Institute of Payroll and Pensions Managers (IPPM), now the CIPP. Back then, employers hadn’t bought into payroll as a profession, so I changed roles and found an employer willing to sponsor my learning. I enrolled onto the Diploma in Payroll Management, now known as the Foundation Degree in Payroll Management. Little did I know how this achievement would shape my career. I have a passion for payroll and people, and my Diploma supported me in reaching my first real senior role, as payroll manager for Carlsberg Tetley managing a team of 12. I held several payroll team leader roles in the build up to Carlsberg and developed my passion for developing people. I was already a CIPP tutor by this time. This combination of experience and education created a steppingstone to starting my career with the CIPP.
who assess Chartered membership submissions. If you’ve built up a level of senior
Joining the CIPP team was the best decision I ever made and being a very driven person, I progressed up the career ladder. As my career developed, I combined all my passions, setting up my future career pathway including payroll, people and education. Education is a key word, as challenging myself to learn and achieve further qualifications opened the doors for career progression, so I was well on the way to developing my skills and knowledge to apply for Chartered membership. As an example, I include a high-level view of how my career path developed, and how this was supported by opportunities for education (see below). After my CIPP career, I stepped back into the payroll industry to become director of people and quality for Dataplan Payroll Ltd (now known by Iris Dataplan Payroll). This led me to run my own consultancy business, People Transformations. My career evolved from core payroll to representing
experience, and are considering Chartered membership, I want to provide you with some food for thought. With my industry hat on, coupled with my personal Chartered experience, I include a few tips to help you with your next steps. There are two routes to Chartered membership: l apply based on experience: you must have valuable experience at a senior level, as this will help you provide great examples to showcase your talent l apply based on qualifications: you must hold at least a Level 5 qualification, e.g., Foundation Degree in Payroll / Pensions Management. Tips l it helps if you have, or currently manage a team and make strategic decisions l your submission needs to dig into work- related situations and demonstrate your leadership abilities and decision making: m where have you made a difference? m how have you used data to support business decision making? m how have you supported, developed and encouraged your team to progress? m how do you keep your team updated? l you must demonstrate you undertake your continuing professional development (CPD) l you could cover the following areas, to fit around your experience: m supporting the organisation m running the payroll m managing payroll / pensions and information systems m managing the payroll / pensions functions m leading and managing people m customer focus m delivering results. Each payroll or pension professional’s career path will be unique and varied. Your experience is priceless, so why not rubber stamp your amazing career, go for it and obtain the recognition you deserve? If you have questions, the CIPP’s team would be happy to speak to you. n
payroll professionals, developing qualifications and teaching payroll professionals at a strategic level.
Achieving Chartered status My experience and education enabled me to be part of the team who developed the Chartered member level, and I’m immensely proud to be one of the first professionals to achieve Chartered membership of the CIPP. Consequently, I’m also a Chartered panel member – one of a group of professionals
Associated designated letters
Qual. level
Level of CIPP membership
Role
Supported by
Tutor for the Foundation Degree in Payroll Management
IPPM Diploma Certificate in Education
5 4
Full membership
MCIPP
Payroll manager
IPPM Diploma
5
Full membership
MCIPP
Payroll trainer
MCIPP
IPPM Diploma Tutor experience
5
Full membership
Senior policy and research officer
FCIPP
Associate director of qualifications
Master of Science in Payroll and Reward Management
7
Fellowship
FCIPP
Chartered membership
Head of policy and research
5-7 Chartered member
ChFCIPP
All the above, but in addition – Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
All the above, but in addition: FHEA
Education director
As above, but in addition: Teaching qualification - Post Graduate Diploma in Work- Based Learning
7 7
Tutor on the CIPP Masters programme
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | September 2023 | Issue 93 44
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