The Human Resources Institute of Alberta (HRIA) was founded in 1984 by a small group of individuals who recognized the need to form a provincial organization which focused on building networking, education and professional development opportunities for human resources practitioners. Today, HRIA supports over 5,000 members across the province.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
                                                                                                  Margaret Mead

The move to collaboration

The collaboration principle is simple - collectively we can do more together, than each of us can do on our own.

The driving force behind the collaboration initiative is the recognition that the human resources profession is becoming more complex in a fast-paced work environment. We are continually finding new ways to enhance our profession and give a greater voice to all Alberta human resources practitioners.

While HRIA’s role has always maintained a provincial focus, there are still many local associations servicing members within their regions. This resulted in duplication of memberships between local associations and the provincial association. In fact, more than half of our members held dual memberships.

In late 2009, a new shared-service model, referred to as `collaboration` was developed.  This model was designed to coordinate the various efforts of the different regional associations in Alberta, and enhance the services provided to HR practitioners throughout the province.

Through collaboration, Members now pay ONE single membership fee and receive benefits from ALL participating associations. Local associations continue their responsibility in the delivery of professional development and networking opportunities within their designated regions. HRIA coordinates the following on behalf of all adjoined provincial associations:

• a central database for all member rosters
• a centralized website for all association information and events
• the Alberta HR Job Source – the only dedicated site for HR jobs throughout the province
• the annual Alberta HR Conference – the largest single event for HR practitioners with leading speakers on HR and business topics
• numerous communication tools, including: quarterly magazine, monthly e-newsletters, bi-weekly PD events emails, weekly job posting emails and occasional e-bulletins