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Certification: A Value Proposition

Today certification has become a buzzword in our society extending far beyond the familiar MD and CPA we instantly recognize as consumers.  Over the last few decades, we have seen a proliferation of certifications develop across industries and professions ranging from IT security to automotive services.  Many non-profits have led the way in developing voluntary certifications to promote industry standards, create avenues for career advancement for members and to demarcate those professionals who have gone the extra mile to distinguish themselves.  In fact, non-profits occupy a special niche in the world of voluntary certification and in so doing have created a unique value proposition for their stakeholders—beginning as advocates of standards.  After all, who better to set industry or professional standards than the members themselves?

Members come to associations with interests and needs, and successful associations respond with a unique set of value propositions designed to meet those needs and sustain interest by providing tangible benefits.  In the arena of certification, associations are specially equipped to deliver the value added benefit certification offers.  Associations have a captive audience in their memberships and related stakeholders, and collectively possess the knowledge, skills, expertise and “intellectual property” upon which to develop a credential.  By offering a credential, not-for-profits can create new avenues for learning, enable their members to enhance their skills, and gain recognition within an industry or profession through the credibility we have come to associate with certification.  The value added is actualized when stakeholders and outside interests associate the certification with competence and quality, and seek it out.

If built and executed correctly, a credible certification can help brand an organization as the “go-to” source for information and services, an additional value added benefit for both certified persons and the association.  For example, the “seal of approval” synonymous with credible certifications can help pave the way for associations to proactively position themselves if regulation is proposed—through certification, a model for setting, measuring and enforcing standards already exists.  Most professions prefer to set and implement their own standards rather than be held to standards set by a governmental or other external agency.  The stringent ethical requirements required of credible certification programs provide an additional measure of value as the codes of ethics certificants must uphold are frequently more robust than the requirements of membership or regulation.  Ultimately, a profession that regulates itself retains the authority to revoke its credential from certificants who fail to comply with the standards.  This action is tantamount to expulsion for many professionals.

While the value propositions provided by a credentialing program expand well beyond those described in this article, one important value added benefit to note is how certification fosters a culture of excellence and creates an identify for its members.   As previously noted, certifications have become a buzzword in today’s marketplace and workforce.  This phenomenon has the positive effect of creating–through a credible certification program–a profession, with standards, where none had previously existed.  This trend has been especially predominant in emerging and rapidly growing specialty areas such as health care, engineering and information technology.  In these instances, certification has validated and defined a distinct set of skills and knowledge for an industry and the public utilizing those skills and services.   Certifications have also helped to redefine and refocus professions or segments of the workforce that have not remained competitive, or whose reputations have suffered through lack of accountability or wrong-doing.

Whether a profession is emerging or re-tooling, a credible certification program has the ability to foster a culture of expertise for an association, create an identify for its certificants, and provide a level of trust to the public—value propositions that all associations and their members should find beneficial.

Categorized in: Industry News