The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has launched its new membership offering for individual members.

The Institute of Professional Recruiters will replace individual membership and is intended to professionalise the industry, raise its standing, and improve standards of service.

REC chief executive Kevin Green told recruiters at the launch in London that the creation of IRP was “the first step” in the REC’s “long journey” towards chartered status.  

All current individual members (6,000 in total) will be automatically transferred to IRP membership from 25 June.

Individual members will sign up to a code of ethics and professional conduct.  They will also have access to a number of benefits and support services including:

- inclusion on a register of recruiters

- use of designatory letters, and the IRP logo

- dedicated web content

 - assistance towards continued professional development

Green told Recruiter: “It’s about people having qualifications and experience, and being able to demonstrate that to clients.

“It’s about saying that if we want to push back regulation we need to be able to show our members are compliant.” It is also about raising recruiters’ own respect for what they do, he says.

Meanwhile, according to an REC survey, recruiters are turning the recession into an opportunity to develop themselves with 67% claiming it has made them better recruiters, and over a third (35%) feeling that job seekers and employers have more respect for them now than when the jobs market was buoyant.