SMU has become the first local university to launch human resources (HR)-related courses under the new Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications framework. The courses include the HR Graduate Certification course that started in April and the Leadership and People Management (LPM) Graduate Certification course that will start next January. They are targeted at professionals, managers and executives. More than 400 people are expected to benefit. Course participants can obtain a 70-per-cent course fee subsidy. The SMU Centre for Professional Studies hopes to issue 1,000 more Statements of Attainment (SOAs) to graduates of the HR Graduate Certification course before April 2017, and 500 more SOAs to graduates of the LPM Graduate Certification course before December 2017.