Transcript Slide 1

GET YOURSELF CERTIFIED!
Certification for Workforce Professionals
IAWP International Conference
Richmond, Virginia
June 9, 2008
Lorraine Faulds
IAWP International Educational Development Committee Chair
What is certification?
According to the National Organization for Competency Assurances,
certification is “the process by which a non-governmental agency or
association grants recognition of competence to an individual who
has met predetermined qualifications specified by that agency or
association.”
In other words…
..a designation earned by a person to assure that he/she is qualified
to perform a task.
The online Certification Guide, at www.certificationguide.com, lists
2,842 certifications in 22 different categories.
33% of professional organizations administer certification programs.
There are even certifications for pet trainers, Tarot card readers,
acupressurists, glassblowers, and cake decorators.
“A portable credential builds credibility with the employer community
and is valued across state lines and across various institutions of
higher education and companies.” US Department of Labor
Why so many?
Two Reasons: Demographics (the population is
expanding) and word of mouth do not work any
more but a “global” certification does.
Types of certification
In order of development level and portability:
wCorporate or Internal: Usually for just one company or
department, usually short, simple to develop (ex. supervisor
certificate)
wProduct-Specific: Portable across locations but not across other
products (ex. Microsoft Word Certificate)
wProfession-Wide: Portable to all places, across all
locations and all products (ex. Certified Public Accountant)
Why should you get certified?
(What’s in it for me?)
Isn’t a college degree or years of experience (or a combination
of both) enough to establish credentials?
No, not all degrees or experiences are the same.
Benefits of certification for employers:
•Improved customer trust
•Increase safety or compliance
•Useful in making employment decisions
•Continuing enhancement of skills
Benefits of certification for employees:
•Higher wages (bonuses, promotion, education assistance)
•Recognition, prestige and competitive advantage over non-certified
candidates
•Enhanced employment opportunities
•Protection of the general public from incompetent practitioners
•Personal accomplishment which leads to increased confidence
•Continued professional development
•Keeps skills current
•Shows individual initiative (certification is
voluntary!)
Careers Where Certifications are
Vital
Information Technology: Technology changes fast!
Financial Management or Planning: Don’t you want the people who
handle your money to be certified?
Safety: 93% of those responsible for workplace safety in the US do not
have a college degree in safety.
Health Support: Health care is a hot field (3 million more health-related
jobs in the next 4 years according to the National
Healthcare Association)
Human Resources: Economic and effective alternative
to graduate school
Careers Where Certifications are Vital
(con’t.)
Hospitality: Technology is changing in this field and certification helps
keep workers up to date
Internal Auditing: The numerous corporate failures and bankruptcy
make this field expand
Manufacturing: Especially for engineering management for which few
college degrees are offered.
Homeland Security: Technology and legislative changes
require continuing education promoted by certification;
certification helps other public safety workers to
cross-over to homeland security
Training and Instructional Design: Technology
(online training especially) creates a huge need for
tech-savvy training and instructional developers
A credentialing program should:
Be relevant…to the demands of your profession.
Be based on outcomes…that prove your skills and knowledge.
Have a duration…until you can recertify.
5 Steps to Selecting a
Certification
1. Identify your employment goals.
2. Consider the amount of resources you’re willing and able to
spend. (Time to study or test, money, effort/energy)
3. Make a preliminary list of
certifications to research.
www.certifyguide.com
is a good place to start.
5 Steps to Selecting a Certification (con’t.)
4. Research the real-world potential of the certification. Marketing
materials are a starting point; ask current certification holders.
Questions you should ask about a certification during your
research:
wWhat is the reputation of the issuing organization?
wDo the benefits of the certification justify the cost?
wWhat are the requirements and costs for recertification?
wAre their educational or experiential requirements?
wIs the certification national in scope? Or even recognized
outside the US?
5. Evaluate and select. And the winner is…
Workforce Professional Certifications
wGlobal Career Development Facilitator
wNational Association of Workforce Development Professionals
(NAWDP)’s Certified Workforce Development Professional
wDynamic Works Institute’s National Workforce Professional
wMaryland Institute for Employment and Training Professionals’ Certified
Workforce Development Professional
wMissouri Association for Workforce Development Professional
Certification
wIAWP’s Certified Workforce Specialist
These are just some of the national certifications.
There are probably more and there are many
state certification programs.
Global Career
Development Facilitator
(offered by several vendors)
Pricing varies; good for 5 years; 75 hours of professional development to
recertify
GCDFs must have a combination of education and work experience as
specified in the credential guidelines:
--graduate degree plus an estimated one year of career development
work experience;
--bachelor's degree plus an estimated two years of career development
work experience;
--Two years of college plus an estimated three years of career
development work experience; or
--a high school diploma/GED plus an estimated four years of career
development work experience.
Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF)
(con’t.)
In addition to the education and work experience, persons who want to
become GCDFs must complete an approved CDF curriculum that includes
120 hours of classroom training and field experience. GCDFs are bound by
a code of ethics.
Training is available online and from several private vendors.
A plug for partnership…
IAWP has partnered with ReadyMinds (www.readyminds.com/cdf) to offer
Distanced Credentialed Facilitator (DCF) online training. This training
“increases skills in delivering facilitation services via distance technologies.”
Partipants must have a GCDF certification or hold a Masters degree and
have 2,000 hours of career development experience.
Training is availabe 24/7 and is self-paced (one year to complete). Cost is
$395.
ReadyMinds will make a monetary donation to the IAPES Foundation, Inc.
for each participant referred by IAWP.
NAWDP Certified Workforce
Development Professional (CWDP)
(www.nawdp.org)
$75 member/$150 nonmember fee (for 3 years); renewal $50 (good for 3
years), 60 hours of professional development
The CWDP is a nationally recognized credential for individuals who have
demonstrated they have the education, training, experience and expertise to
provide the highest quality services to our nation's job seekers and
businesses.
The CWDP requires the following:
--Education plus experience
--Self-assessed competencies (in 10 topics)
--Professional Affiliation
--References
--Adherence to a Code of Ethics
NAWDP CWDP (con’t.)
After being accepted as a CWDP, individuals can apply for an
Endorsement to their CWDP in one or more of four specialty
areas.
wBusiness and Employer Services
wJob Seeker Services
wManagement Services
wYouth Services
Dynamic Works Institute
(www.dynamicinstitute.com)
$50 for each course, $100 exam fee
Dynamic Works Institute, Inc. is a training institute for the
workforce industry which launched an e-learning initiative in 2000
and has since grown to become one of the most successful
professional development training tools in the industry.
Dynamic Works Institute provides asynchronous (self-paced) and
synchronous (live, real-time) online learning, distance learning,
and on site learning opportunities and certification programs to
professionals and partners in the workforce system.
Dynamic Works Institute (con’t.)
wBusiness & Employer Services (7 courses)
wCore Skills (11 courses)
wJobseeker Services (6 courses)
wNational Workforce Professional (in 3 levels, called tiers)
Tier 1 (13 courses)
Tier 2 (14 courses)
Tier 3 (17 courses)
Requirements:
--Pass exams (passage rates and test lengths vary; tests are
given online (unproctored))
--Fees
Maryland Institute
for Employment and
Training Professionals
(www.mietp.org)
wGlobal Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) (online $1,995)
wCertified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) ($525)
wDependable Strengths Facilitator: Teaches “high-level case management by
helping the customer realize his/her full potential”)
wCertified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP), including
endorsement areas (this is NAWDP’s certification)
Missouri Association for
Workforce Development
Professional Certification
Program
(www.mo-awd.org)
$50 for three years; renewal (for three years) $50 (60 hours of professional
development)
The MAWD certification model was built to be compatible with the NAWDP
certification model. While MAWD certification doesn't automatically lead to
NAWDP certification yet, if you are certified in one it will make getting
certified in the other much easier.
Missouri Association for Workforce
Development Professional Certification
(con’t.)
Exam Option: 70% to pass a test on five competency areas, plus
professional affiliation, references, Code of Ethics
Assessment Option: Education and experience, self-assessment of
competencies, supervisor/peer assessment of competencies, references,
professional affiliation, Code of Ethics
Specialties for both options: Customer Services and Administrative Services
IAWP Certified Workforce
Professional (CWS)
Started in June 2007; 5 certified as of June 1, 2008
There are four (4) requirements:
wEducation plus experience
wProfessional membership
wWPDP Master designation
wProfessional references
IAWP CWS (con’t.)
1. Education plus Experience
--Master’s Degree with two (2) years current experience OR
--Bachelor’s Degree with three (3) years current experience OR
--Associate’s Degree with four (4) years current experience OR
--High School Diploma or GED with five (5) years current
experience
2. Professional Membership
The applicant must have maintained membership in IAWP for the
previous two (2) consecutive years or have similar membership in
another workforce development professional association for the
same time frame.
IAWP CWS (con’t.)
3. IAWP Workforce Professional Development Program (WPDP)
Candidates must pass all four (4) WPDP competencies (History of
Workforce Development, Business & Jobseeker Specialist,
Unemployment Insurance Specialist, and Labor Market Information
Specialist). The WPDP is currently available in a hardcopy version, but
an electronic/online version is being developed.
4. Professional References
The candidate must submit two (2) letters of reference: one from an
immediate supervisor, and one from another person within the
workforce profession who can attest to the individual’s experience,
knowledge and skills.
IAWP CWS (con’t.)
CERTIFICATION PERIOD
Certification is valid for three years from time of approval.
Individuals may apply for recertification every three (3) years as
long as they can show proof that they are still employed in a
workforce development profession and provide proof that they
have completed at least 100 hours of professional development
training since their last certification.
IAWP CWS (con’t.)
APPLICATION PROCESS
The official application form must be completed legibly and sent to the
IAWP Administrative Office with the required documentation and fees
as noted. Applications will be reviewed by the IAWP Review
Committee within two (2) months of receipt. Approved applicants will
be notified within two (2) weeks of completion of review by way of a
certificate and letter of congratulations.
IAWP CWS (con’t.)
FEES
Certification
The application fee is $50 and is not refundable. If the application
is not accepted, you can reapply within six (6) months for no
additional fee.
Re-certification (every three (3) years)
Applicant must be able to prove
100 hours of professional development.
The reapplication fee is $50.
Comparison
(see readable handout )
A COMPARISION OF WORKFORCE PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS
Program Name
Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF)
Designating Authority Website
Center for Credentialling
& Education (CCE)
www.cce-global.org
Certified Workforce Development Professional
NAWDP
www.nawdp.org
National Workforce Professional
Certified Workforce Development Professional
Workforce Development Professional
Dynamic Works Institute www.dynamicinstitute.com
Maryland Institute for
Employment & Training
Professionals
www.mietp.org
Missouri Association for
Workforce Development
Professionals
www.mo-awd.org
Certified Workforce Specialist
IAWP
www.iawponline.org
Qualifications
Fee
$100 (+$25
annual
Education+experience, complete maintenance
CDF curriculum, code of ethics
fee)
Education+experience,
professional affiliation, self$75
assessment, references, code of members/$150
ethics
nonmembers
Courses $50
each; $100
Online testing, fee
exam fees
Uses NAWDP's certification
Exam or assessment (self &
peer), education + experience (for
assessment option only),
references, professional affiliation,
references, code of ethics
Education + experience,
professional membership, WPDP
Master designation (4 exams),
references
same as
NAWDPs
Time
Recert
National or
Fee Prof Dev
Int'l.
5 years
$50
75 hrs International
3 years
$50
60 hrs
none
none
none
National
same as same as same as
NAWDPs NAWDPs NAWDPs
$50
3 years
$50
$50
3 years
$50
60 hrs
100 hrs International
CONCLUSION
The importance of professional development
can't be overemphasized,
especially in a field as vital as workforce development.
Only by continually arming yourself with
the latest research, techniques and knowledge
can you hope to stay effective in your career.
Questions?
Lorraine Faulds
IAWP International Educational
Development Committee Chair
[email protected]
803-737-2714