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The Professional Testing Blog

Thinking of Developing a Certification Program? The Top 5 Things You Need to Do

Christine Niero, Ph.D.

Over the past few decades thousands of certification programs have proliferated, several in industries that didn’t even exist, for example, cyber security.  Certifications occupy a unique place in qualifying a workforce, career advancement and professional development.  If started and sustained correctly, certifications can become a standard for an industry as well as a prominent piece of the intellectual property of the sponsoring organization.  Before you start a program, consider the following.

1. Conduct a market analysis— this will help you determine your potential market, understand its characteristics such as level of education, employment and earnings, and articulate the perceived value and benefits associated with the certification.  Then you can create your value proposition.

2. Build in value and tangible benefits— and start this early!  Clearly articulate the purposes of the credential and develop a program that supports that purpose.  For example, if certification leads to career advancement, involve employers in the process to give incentive to their employees to earn the credential.  Build your messaging around value.

3. Calculate your ROI and expect to support the program— expecting to break-even and earn a profit in a short period of time is often not a realistic expectation.  Solid market research will enable you to determine when you should break-even and profit, thereby enabling you to plan accordingly and manage the expectations of anxious leadership.

4. Work with experts— make sure you can stand behind the credential with a credible and viable program.  What goes into developing a quality program is as important as the end product, so make sure your test measures what it’s intended to; your policies are fair and comprehensive; and qualifying for and maintaining the certification focuses on competency requirements and nothing else.

5. Be customer focused—understand the needs, preferences and wants of your certificants, and see how you can tailor your program to meet their needs.  Make information such as candidate handbooks and applications easy to find on your website.  Develop products such as study-guides and online practice exams, and consider the best method for testing—computer-based, web-based, or paper/pencil. 

Categorized in: Industry News