The Society for Human Resource Management and Holmes Corp. is honoring U of A Professional and Workforce Development, a part of the Global Campus, for its enrollment of participants in SHRM Learning System courses.

The U of A enrolled 76 people in 2022 for the SHRM Certified Professional exam and the SHRM Senior Certified Professional exam. It ranked No. 17 among other universities and companies in the nation that offer the exams. Katie Ricardo, program coordinator, accepted the award on behalf of the U of A in a video that will be shown at the SHRM Education Partner Learning Connection event on Feb. 8.

There are more than 265 education partners delivering the SHRM courses each year, according to Holmes Corp.

"Here at Global Campus, we strive to be a distinguished provider and leader of high-quality educational opportunities that empower people and transform lives," Ricardo said. "Thanks to our partnership with the Holmes Corporation, we were able to provide training to 76 Arkansas HR professionals. Thank you to our incredible instructors, the Professional and Workforce Development staff and the Reimagine Arkansas Workforce Project team. We wouldn't be here without your hard work."

The Reimagine program provides federal funds to those who qualify to pay for more than 100 online job training courses, including SHRM exam preparation courses.

The U of A also has posted a higher pass rate than the national average on the SHRM exams. The program is offered in partnership with SHRM, the Arkansas State Chapter of SHRM and the Northwest Arkansas Human Resources Association. The U of A is the only SHRM education partner in the state, with certification exam pass rates that consistently exceed the national average.

For last year's exam window between May 1 and July 15, the U of A pass rate on the SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) exam was 80%, and the U of A pass rate on the SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) exam was 75%. That compares with the national average of 65% and 46%, respectively.