TL;DR CIPM Sri Lanka is the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, the national professional body for human resource management. It began in 1959 as the Institute of Personnel Management and teaches a ladder of HR qualifications that runs from a foundation course to a chartered qualification, mostly part-time. Uplift lists the institute and shows the HR degrees you can weigh beside it.
If you work in HR, or want to move into it, the choice is usually between a professional qualification and a university degree. This guide explains how CIPM is structured, who can enter, and where a degree fits. You can browse the human resources management programs in the wider business study area alongside it.
What is CIPM Sri Lanka?
The Institute of Personnel Management was founded in 1959 by a small group of professionals to develop the personnel management profession. An Act of Parliament incorporated it in 1976, and Act No. 31 of 2018 renamed it the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management. Its head office is at No. 43, Vijaya Kumaranathunga Mawatha, Colombo 05.
CIPM describes itself as a professional body and says it is affiliated with the Asia Pacific Federation of Human Resource Management and the World Federation of People Management Associations. Our CIPM institute page on Uplift sets out its programs in more detail. CIPM is a professional body, not a university, so its awards come from the institute itself or, for the management diplomas, through its partnership with the Chartered Management Institute in the UK.
What are the CIPM HR qualification levels?
CIPM teaches a ladder of qualifications. Each level has its own entry routes, so you may not need to start at the bottom.
Foundation and advanced certificate
The Foundation Course in HRM, known as the FCHRM, and the Advanced Certificate in HRM, the ACHRM, sit at the start of the ladder. They suit people who are new to HR or who work in it without a formal qualification.
Diploma and chartered levels
The Diploma in Professional HRM, the DPHRM, comes next. After it come the Chartered Intermediate, the CIHRM, and the Chartered Qualification, the CQHRM, which is the top of the ladder.
Specialised programs
CIPM also runs programs in reward management, employment law, occupational safety and health, HR analytics, industrial relations, and learning and development. It delivers Level 7 diplomas with the Chartered Management Institute, UK.
Who can enter CIPM programs and how are they taught?
Entry rules vary by program and usually give several routes. CIPM's program pages list options such as completing the previous CIPM level, holding a degree, having A/L passes with work experience, or having O/L passes with longer executive experience. Direct applicants to the CIHRM and CQHRM pay an additional exemption fee of LKR 50,000 and LKR 60,000 respectively, as listed by CIPM.
Classes are organised from the Colombo head office and regional centres in Kandy, Galle, Kurunegala and Gampaha. Study centres in Negombo, Ratnapura and Vavuniya are hosted at partner institutions. Programs run in classroom, online or blended mode depending on the course. Fees are quoted in rupees for local participants, and several programs offer instalments. Students following a CIPM program get a discount on the reward management and employment law certificates. Because fees and intakes change between batches, confirm them with CIPM before you pay.
