Certificate vs. Certification | Gary Rush Facilitation

November 2019 FoCuSeD™ eNewsletter

Certificate vs. Certification | Gary Rush Facilitation

I hope this article answers your questions and concerns about “how to” obtain a “Professional Certification” so you can make the right choice. 

In the instance of a skill or profession, there is a difference between a “Certificate” of Completion and a Professional “Certification”:

• “Certificate” of Completion – This is a document attesting to evidence of a successful completion of a course.
  • This “certificate” comes from the vendor or school who teaches the course – the content is tied to specific outcomes.
  • “Success” may range from an assessment to simply attendance.
  • Does not require meeting ongoing standards to maintain the certificate.
  • This is helpful on your resume but is not listed after your name, e.g., John Doe, CPF.
  • This does not require related work experience.
• Professional “Certification” – This is a document that gives credentials to a professional and requires experience in order to be eligible. Experience is key…
  • This “certification” comes from 3^rd party professional associations who establish a set of standards and a means of evaluation.
  • This requires being assessed against that set of standards.
  • Requires sustaining ongoing standards to maintain certification.
  • This is helpful on your resume and is listed after your name, e.g., John Doe, CPF.
  • This requires related work experience.

One area that differentiates a “Professional Certification” from a “Certificate of Completion” is the requirement for experience, which typically indicates industry knowledge:

• The International Association of Facilitators (IAF) requires 7 workshops within 3 years before applying for the Certified™ Professional Facilitator (CPF) designation.
• The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) requires 4000 hours of experience as a business analyst before applying for the Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP)® designation.
• The Project Management Institute (PMI) requires 4500 hours of experience in project management with a college degree or 7500 hours of experience in project management without a college degree before applying for a Project Management Professional (PMP)® designation.

The person applying for the “Professional Certification” may also hold other “Certificates of Completion” signifying what training they have taken to advance their skills.  But to achieve a “Professional Certification” those receiving a “Certificate of Completion” still need to have experience and be able to demonstrate competency. 

Another area that differentiates a “Professional Certification” from a “Certificate of Completion” is the requirement for independent assessment or testing against a set of defined competencies:

• In the IAF, you must be assessed via 2 interviews and a practical facilitation exercise that includes independent assessors. (To deter conflict of interest, the IAF ensures that the assessors are not the same people who trained you or worked with you.)
• In IIBA, you must take a written exam administered by IIBA.
• In PMI, you must take a written exam administered by PMI.

Conclusion

I support the IAF.  I’ve been a member since 1994 and an IAF Endorsed™ Assessor since 2007. 

The IAF has over 1800 members worldwide with over 800 CPFs in over 35 countries, making it universally recognized and accepted. 

My FoCuSeD™ Facilitator Academy is endorsed by the IAF as an IAF Endorsed™ Comprehensive Programme indicating that our class covers the IAF Core Facilitator Competencies and what attendees need to learn to achieve them, enabling those who wish to pursue their IAF Certified™ Professional Facilitator (CPF) designation.  I also provide a class “Certificate” of Completion attesting to evidence of a successful completion of my course.