Do professional HR personnel need professional training?

HR is a profession many 'fall into'. Whether this is a good or a bad thing, does it really mean you don't need training? Dave Snow investigates the role of HR today and says training is never wasted.
 

There are some within the HR profession who knew where their future lay from a young age and who made the educational choices to support this goal from the start, perhaps with a relevant first degree straight after A Levels. However, for many others their entry into HR is a choice born of more general business experience and a realisation that such roles offer a varied and interesting career path.

As the profile of HR has grown over the years, so we have seen an increase in the complexity of demands placed upon personnel within the sector. HR has evolved a long way from its roots as the ‘employment department’, with senior management now expected to fulfil a role that spans a variety of disciplines including corporate strategy, law, training, recruitment and employee relations.