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The Professional Testing Blog

Fostering a Culture of Excellence Through Certification

If built and executed correctly, a credible certification can help brand an organization as the standard of “excellence” for a profession or an industry. 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.  The stringent ethical requirements required of credible certification programs help support a “culture of excellence,” as the codes of ethics certificants must uphold are frequently more robust than the requirements of membership or regulation.

Credible certification programs can create an industry standard 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.  Before a program can put itself forward as a “credible certification”, it must meet best certification practices, including, but not limited to:

1. An independent governing body that minimizes conflicts-of-interest and makes decisions based on policy and an individual’s ability to meet certification requirements

2. Examinations that are developed in alignment with best practices in measurement (psychometrics)—you are confident that your exam measures what it intends to

3. Fair eligibility requirements—none set to intentionally exclude categories of people

4. Recertification requirements based on continued competence and the purposes of the certification

5. A Code of Ethics and disciplinary program that investigates and sanctions violations of the Code

6. Policies, due process and fairness in all aspects of governing and administering the certification program.

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

Categorized in: Industry News