Professional Societies
Professional societies are support mechanisms for international schools operational professionals and school leaders in the area of Human Resources (HR), Facilities Management (FM) and other school operations fields. These networks were created to ensure international schools operations professionals and leaders keep up to date with best practices in these fields and guarantee collaboration opportunities and career development opportunities.
ISS has collaborated with leading professional organizations like the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and APPA – Leadership in Educational Facilities to provide expert information from industry leaders, specialty resources, on-call assistance, and networking opportunities.
Choose which professional society fits your role
ISS Human Resources (HR) Society
Designed for human resources professionals and school leaders working in international schools. ISS Human Resources Society benefits are offered through an exclusive collaboration between ISS and Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
ISS Facilities Management (FM) Society
Designed for facilities and operations professionals and leaders working in international schools. ISS Facilities Management Society benefits are offered through an exclusive collaboration between ISS and APPA – Leadership in Educational Facilities.
ISS Human Resources Society
Be part of a global network of international school human resources professionals and school leaders.
ISS is an International Education Partner with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). This valuable society combines a unique array of services dedicated to the unique needs of international schools, in addition to exclusive access to SHRM HR certification programs and seminars. These ISS-SHRM seminars will be led by experienced and certified HR professionals from international schools around the globe, fostering professional growth and networking. .
Perfect for HR Professionals, Head of Schools, Operations Managers, Business Managers, and other school leaders who are responsible or interested in talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, diversity and inclusion, employee relations, risk management, compliance and other legal topics, career development, HR policy, and more. SHRM is the foremost expert and world leader on matters impacting workplaces. It is the world’s largest HR professional society, with over 300,000 members from 165 countries. The ISS-SHRM partnership aims to professionalize HR services in international schools, leverage best HR practices to improve service delivery within school communities, and support the improvement of career development, progression, and retention of HR professionals within international schools.
HR Society benefit highlight: Connections just a click away
ISS HR Society members gain direct access to 24/7 HR advisors and a vibrant community of HR international schools professionals for collaboration and knowledge exchange. Dive into seminars led by top international school HR leaders, enjoy flexible course scheduling, and earn SHRM recertification credits with ISS.
We offer the following courses to develop skills in HR and pursue SHRM certifications
SHRM Essential HR
The SHRM Essentials of Human Resources is an introductory course offering a comprehensive overview of the key aspects of HR. It gives participants foundational knowledge and an introduction to behavioral competencies that are essential for business success. This course is ideal for those who are just starting out in the human resources profession, or those who are looking for an effective way to boost their employee management skills. This course will suit: HR specialist, administrative assistant, HR generalist, executive assistant, office manager, HR administrator,
Admissions counselor, middle managers, and supervisors as well as school principals with less than five years’ experience, Assistant principals, other teaching and learning leaders.
SHRM Certified Professional (CP)
The first level certification – Validate HR expertise with the global standard certification for HR professionals functioning at the operational level.
SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SCP)
The SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) certification is for individuals whose work includes duties such as developing HR policies or procedures, overseeing the execution of integrated HR operations, directing an entire HR enterprise, or leading the alignment of HR strategies to organizational goals. This certification would also suits for Head of Schools and Principals with minimum of five years’ experience.
Purchasing an annual fellowship will immediately grant you a membership with SHRM and provide you its full suites of benefits including Unlimited On-call Access to HR Advisors and interactive tools to assist you with the daily HR activities among other essential services.
Annual fellowship fee is just $230 USD.
- Quarterly ISS HR Society Gatherings with subject matter experts and guests
- The opportunity to connect with other ISS HR Society members directly through the ISS HR Society communication channel and easily share experiences, exchange resources, ask for advice and collaborate
- Discounts on ISS-SHRM Professional Seminar and certifications. Savings of up to 25% off registration on the ISS-SHRM virtual seminars offered during the year
- View upcoming ISS-SHRM events
George Rivera III, SVP Commercial and Enterprise Sales, SHRM
Amber Clayton, Director, Knowledge Center, SHRM
Joining the ISS HR Society has been so helpful to me – especially the self-service resources through SHRM and the ability to connect with peers around the world. Looking forward to PD sessions in the fall.
ISS’s HR society has been very useful to me as a professional. I am very appreciative of the partnership established with SHRM, a leading global HR organization and love the HR society gatherings which generate rich learning conversations and professional growth. Thank you for all that you do!
ISS Facilities Management Society
Be part of a global network of educational facility management professionals and a unique society of international school professionals.
This valuable society combines a unique array of services dedicated to the unique needs of international schools and their operations, in addition to exclusive discounts and the opportunity to network with other like-minded international schools professionals.
Perfect for Facility Managers, Operations Managers, Head of Schools, Business Managers, and other school leaders who are responsible or interested in general facility administration and management; facility operations and maintenance; energy, utilities, and environmental stewardship; and planning, design, and construction. Whether it is facility budgeting and cost management, fire protection and other structural systems, sustainability, or capital planning, there you can find detailed support on these topics and hundreds more.
This society synthesizes a wide range of detailed topics related to day-to-day operations to large-scale planning and provides you the opportunity to network and learn with other international school professionals like you. Don’t just take our word for it. Listen to a current ISS FM Society member describe why they love the program.
FM Society benefit highlight:
Transform the way you work, using best practices in education facilities through the APPA body of knowledge and keep up with the latest advancements and tools in the filed. connect with other international schools facility management and operations professionals through the ISS Facility Management (FM) Society Communication channel. Chat, call, share ideas, meet virtually, and collaborate.
Purchasing an annual fellowship will immediately grant you membership with APPA and provide you its full suite of benefits including:
- Annual fellowship fee is now $215 USD.
- Access to APPA’s Body of Knowledge, Robust Resources, Facilities Manager Magazine and more
- Quarterly ISS FM Society Gatherings with subject matter experts and guests
- The opportunity to connect with other ISS FM Society members directly through the ISS HR Society communication channel and easily share experiences, exchange resources, ask for advice and collaborate
- Discounts on ISS-APPA Professional Seminar Series. Savings up to 20% on ISS-APPA virtual workshops led by industry experts, including a preparation seminar for the Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP) credential
- View upcoming ISS-APPA events
About APPA – Leadership in Educational Facilities
APPA Leadership in Educational Facilities is the premier educational facility management society. For over 100 years, APPA has provided education, information, research, recognition programs, and services to educational facilities professionals. Today, APPA provides support to more than 17,000 educational facilities professionals from more than 1,200 learning institutions. ISS brings its deep real-world experience of building, designing and maintaining school buildings and grounds to further support you in your career.
Lander Medlin, APPA President and CEO
Upcoming ISS events with SHRM and APPA
