Chapter 17
Talent Development Certification
IN THIS CHAPTER
Discovering information about ATD
Finding out more about ATD’s Talent Development Capability Model
Understanding what APTD and CPTD certification can mean for you
Morgean Hirt, ICE-CCP, ATD Director, Credentialing, co-author
You may be feeling a bit overwhelmed about the number of skills and the amount of knowledge that trainers and talent development professionals require to do their jobs. It can be overwhelming. But support is available. The Association for Talent Development (ATD, formerly ASTD) is the world’s largest association dedicated to trainers and talent development professionals. ATD provides trusted, vetted resources to individuals like you who are interested in or work in the field.
Two ATD initiatives are particularly exciting:
- The new ATD Talent Development Capability Model
- The ATD Certification Institute’s (ATD CI) certification offerings, based on that model
Both of these initiatives will continue to have a profound effect on the talent development profession and on each member of that profession.
This chapter provides you with an introduction to ATD and what the association offers. It also offers an overview of ATD’s Talent Development Capability Model and its value. ATD’s Talent Development Capability Model is a direct result of a large, global, occupational research study. Most exciting, however, are the professional certifications — the Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) and the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) credential — based on the Capability Model. This chapter explores what these certifications mean for you.
I’m excited about the topics in this chapter. Morgean Hirt, ICE-CCP, ATD Director, responsible for both ATD’s Talent Development Capability Model and the ATD Certification Institute certification programs, has graciously given her time to assist with writing this chapter.
Introducing ATD
The Association for Talent Development (ATD) champions the importance of learning and training by setting standards for the talent development profession. ATD is the largest, most trusted organization for the professional development of practitioners in training and talent development, serving a worldwide community with members in more than 100 countries. Since ATD was founded in 1943, the talent development field has expanded significantly to meet the needs of global businesses and emerging industries. Classroom trainers and facilitators, instructional designers, data analysts, coaches, and performance-improvement consultants are among the professionals that ATD supports with resources, membership, tools, courses, and credentials. Talent development professionals rely on ATD to establish benchmarks and capabilities for best practices.
Finding out why ATD’s mission is important
ATD’s stated mission is to “Empower professionals to develop talent in the workplace” (see https://www.td.org/about). People are the key to driving an organization’s competitive edge. A highly skilled workforce is the primary asset in a change-constant world where innovation, knowledge, and skills are the currency of success. The best strategic solution to meet these challenges is developing talent in the workplace through learning initiatives that unleash potential and help people achieve peak performance.
Understanding what ATD does
ATD is a membership association for professionals who develop talent in the workplace. These professionals have many titles: trainers, instructional designers, talent development managers, coaches, front-line supervisors, learning and performance specialists, consultants, directors of learning, CHROs, CTDOs, and CLOs. ATD creates and curates content, resources, and professional development offerings. The association serves as a convener, bringing people together to learn, network, collaborate, and grow.
Find out what ATD offers firsthand. Check out the association’s website at www.td.org.
Accessing resources through ATD
The resources that ATD provides help talent development professionals increase their impact and effectiveness. These resources include
- The ATD Capability Model
- Education courses
- Certifications and credentials
- Membership for individuals and organizations
- Consortiums to foster learning
- Industry-leading events held around the world
- Research
- Books and magazines
- Awards
- Job Bank
To be a part of this rewarding profession, become a member of ATD. You will be amazed by what a difference it makes to have the opportunity to grow and network with other professionals. Learn more at www.td.org.
Understanding ATD’s Talent Development Capability Model
ATD’s Talent Development Capability Model is a framework to guide the talent development profession in what practitioners need to know and do to develop themselves, others, and their organizations. The model is future-oriented, flexible, and customizable. Above all, it has been designed to be a practical road map for success in the talent development profession regardless of the size, location, or complexity of the organization in which practitioners work or the stage of someone’s career.
Getting an overview of the Capability Model
Having a defined set of competencies is a hallmark of any profession. Competencies are the knowledge and skills necessary to perform a current job. They remain integral to job performance and are one element of capability; however, capability is about adapting and flexing to meet future needs. Competence is about the current state; capability involves integrating knowledge and skills and using them in new or unfamiliar situations. The Capability Model (see Figure 17-1) is composed of three domains of practice, broken down into 23 capabilities. The following sections clarify what is contained in each of these three domains.
© Association for Talent Development. Used by permission.
FIGURE 17-1: Talent Development Capability Model.
Domains of practice
ATD’s Talent Development Capability Model categorizes the capabilities necessary for success in all jobs across the talent development profession as three domains of practice:
- Capabilities that derive from interpersonal skills
- Capabilities that come from building professional knowledge related to developing people and helping them learn
- Capabilities that affect an organization’s ability to drive toward results and mission success
In addition, 23 capabilities within the three domains provide details of the core components.
Capabilities
The model categorizes each of the key areas of the field as capabilities that include the related knowledge and skills required for successful practice. Key findings in the occupational research included the need for talent development professionals at all levels to view the entire TD ecosystem holistically. Although a talent development professional may have a specific area of focus as an instructional designer or a coach, they need to understand how their work fits into and affects the larger organization. By blending capabilities across the three domains, TD professionals will become as capable and effective as possible. To that end, there is no hierarchy in the new capability model — each of the three major domains of practice holds key elements to success.
BUILDING PERSONAL CAPABILITY
This domain of practice embodies the foundational or enabling abilities that all working professionals should possess to be effective in the business world. These largely interpersonal skills, often called soft skills, are needed to build effective organizational or team culture, trust, and engagement.
- Communication
- Emotional Intelligence and Decision Making
- Collaboration and Leadership
- Cultural Awareness and inclusion
- Project Management
- Compliance and Ethical Behavior
- Lifelong Learning
DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL CAPABILITY
This domain of practice embodies the knowledge and skills that talent development professionals should possess to be effective in their roles of creating the processes, systems, and frameworks that foster learning, maximize individual performance, and develop the capacity and potential of employees.
- Learning Sciences
- Instructional Design
- Training Delivery and Facilitation
- Technology Application
- Knowledge Management
- Career and Leadership Development
- Coaching
- Evaluating Impact
IMPACTING ORGANIZATIONAL CAPABILITY
This domain of practice embodies the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed by professionals to ensure that talent development is a primary mechanism driving organizational performance, productivity, and operational results.
- Business Insight
- Consulting and Business Partnering
- Organizational Development and Culture
- Talent Strategy and Management
- Performance Improvement
- Change Management
- Data and Analytics
- Future Readiness
The Capability Model reflects the field of talent development now but also several years into the future. It enables talent development professionals to demonstrate the need for lifelong learning, and the important role that growing and expanding your skill sets can play in performance and success. The industry has entered a time in which a job no longer equals a single role and work is often defined by projects and done in teams. Today, TD practitioners’ roles range from instructors to catalysts for growth and innovation, leaders of change, enablers of learning, developers of workplace capability, and business partners. Talent development professionals tend to focus their energies on developing others and push off their own growth and development. The Talent Development Capability Model provides a road map for professional growth to help practitioners keep pace with change in the industry.
Recognizing the value of a competency framework
A research-based competency framework, such as the Talent Development Capability Model, provides a common understanding and language for the requirements of the profession. Among other things, the Capability Model can be used to
- Help professionals assess their current knowledge and skills against what they may need to succeed in the future
- Evaluate individuals for selection or promotion
- Attract people to the field
- Guide career-planning decisions and map career paths
- Assess job performance
- Establish a foundation for professional credentialing programs
Although all those activities are important, the real value of the model is its application to enhance and elevate the profession through professional certification. ATD Certification Institute (CI) certifications, based on the Capability Model, provide tangible validation of having the skills necessary to perform in the role.
If you’re serious about being a professional in the talent development arena, you will want to obtain your ATD Certification Institute certification. To get started, obtain your personal copy of the Talent Development Body of Knowledge (TDBoK) (ATD, 2020).
Certification: What It Means for You
The preceding section tells you about ATD’s Talent Development Capability Model and how it provides a blueprint for guiding professional development and the future of the profession. This section switches gears to focus on certification and its implications.
Knowing the difference between certification and certificate programs
Certification is a voluntary process whereby a professional body such as the ATD Certification Institute recognizes or grants a designation to professionals who have met certain standards. Certified people are usually issued a designation recognizing that they have met those standards, often by way of eligibility requirements, tests, and examinations. Certification is typically time-bound and requires professionals to recertify, by way of continuing professional development or examination, to demonstrate continued ability to apply current knowledge and skills.
Certification and certificate are often used interchangeably, but they don’t mean the same thing. Certification and certificate programs differ in their criteria and goals. In certification, the focus is on assessing the ability to apply knowledge and skills. In a certificate program, the focus is on meeting training objectives provided to develop a more narrowly defined knowledge and skill base. Furthermore, certificate programs typically award a document signifying completion, with or without an assessment. It signifies completion at a point in time but doesn’t require anything further. Unfortunately, the lack of standardization in terms and inconsistent application of certificate programs create confusion in the marketplace.
To determine whether a program is a certification or a certificate program, ask yourself whether the focus is on the completion of a learning experience to gain new knowledge or skill (certificate) or the validation of the capabilities and experience you have already attained (certification).
If you’re not ready for a certification program at this time, to help prepare for it, you might consider an assessment-based certificate, such as the ATD Master Trainer or ATD Master Instructional Designer programs. The programs provide a more in-depth exploration of necessary knowledge and skills, culminating in a real-world capstone project designed to showcase your new skills. You can find more information on these programs at www.td.org.
Understanding the value of certification
In order for a field to be considered a profession, it must have three things: a certification program, a distinct body of knowledge, and a professional association or society. Being a member of a profession brings credibility and recognition to a field of expertise. ATD’s Certification Institute awarded its first credentials in 2006, launching the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) and followed with the Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) in 2017. When the Talent Development Capability Model was released and both credentials were updated to reflect the new framework, the CPLP program became the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD). Since then, nearly 5,000 professionals have earned one of the designations. Certification brings a level of standing and respect to training and talent development professionals who work alongside colleagues certified in their fields, as Certified Public Accounts (CPAs), Certified Radiologists, and Project Management Professionals (PMPs).
Occasionally, a certification can be required to practice in a field, such as in many medical fields. Certification is voluntary in the talent development field, which means that those who choose to pursue certification demonstrate their commitment to the field and their career. Certification brings value to a variety of stakeholders.
Value to the individual
Certification validates that an individual is well-versed in the knowledge and skill required to perform in a role. It also provides certification holders with
- Increased recognition by peers and respect of colleagues in the profession
- Improved opportunities for employment and advancement
- Greater confidence in someone’s professional performance
- Increased professional trust from employers and other stakeholders
- Increased autonomy in the workplace
- Better compensation and career longevity
Value to the employer
Certification also provides value to organizations who employ those who are certified. It can help employers by providing a reference point when evaluating job and promotion candidates. Additionally, employers benefit from
- Qualified individuals for employment or advancement
- Individuals who keep current with the field through recertification requirements for continued or enhanced competence
- Dedicated and knowledgeable professionals committed to the field for the long term
- Reduced risk of errors, accidents, or legal liability
- Reduced employee turnover and increased job satisfaction
- Justification for potential compensation differential
Value to the profession
Certification helps to establish a set of defined standards for the field. It can help to codify a profession and establish these standards. At the end of the day, certification can serve to raise the bar of professional practice.
In another sense, certification in the talent development field has intrinsic value. Because competency assessment and people development are at the heart of what people know and do in this field, certification is an important means to an end. In fact, the training and education departments are often the first to outline the requirements for competent practice. Thus, this certification is merely echoing at a macro level what’s already being done by those under its umbrella at the micro level.
Taking a Quick Look at ATD CI Certification
The following sections give you an overview of the ATD Certification Institute certification programs. You can learn more at www.td.org/certification.
Seeing the link between capabilities and certification
This section looks at how the Capability Model is linked to certification, and how the model provides a foundation for the certification process of ATD’s Certification Institute.
The Capability Model lays out what talent development professionals need to know and do. The certification process assesses and validates a professional against those standards, not just what they know but also their ability to demonstrate putting that knowledge into practice. Each of the ATD CI programs sets a standard for the scope and level of knowledge and skill across the Capability Model and then, through eligibility requirements and standardized testing, indicates those who have met the standard.
Both certification programs are comprised of the same elements, but with different requirements, as displayed in Table 17-1.
TABLE 17-1 Requirements for the two Talent Development certifications.
Element | Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) | Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) |
|---|---|---|
Work Experience | At least three years of experience | At least five years of experience |
Professional Development | At least 28 hours of professional development in the field | At least 60 hours of professional development in the field |
Professional Conduct | Signed code of ethics | Signed code of ethics |
Multiple-Choice Exam | Covering foundational knowledge areas of the Talent Development Capability Model | Covering critical-thinking and professional judgement in on-the-job scenarios using skills from the Talent Development Capability Model |
Recertification | Forty qualifying professional development points every three years | Sixty qualifying professional development points every three years |
Applicant process
The applicant process entails seven steps.
Step 1: Assess general readiness
Individuals are encouraged to assess whether they meet the eligibility requirements and whether certification (versus some other route, such as a college or university degree or a course or learning event) is right for them.
Step 2: Complete a gap assessment
Applicants can complete a gap assessment in the Candidate Handbook for their selected designation, APTD or CPTD. Alternatively, applicants can use the self-assessment available on the Talent Development Capability Model website to assess their readiness and identify areas on which to focus their preparation.
Step 3: Prepare and follow a study plan
Applicants can use the Study Planning Guide to map out their plan for reviewing concepts and closing knowledge and skill gaps. Applicants can also choose from a variety of programs or self-study plan to help prepare for the APTD or CPTD program. ATD has published the Talent Development Body of Knowledge, ATD Press publications, and online prep courses. In addition, ATD chapters hold study groups. A full-length practice exam is available to simulate the testing environment to help you feel comfortable with the format of test questions and the testing platform.
Successful certification candidates report that having a study buddy or participating in a study group was an invaluable part of their certification journey and expanded their professional network. These formats allow for peer-to-peer learning and help you stay accountable. Many ATD chapters host study groups throughout the year. You can find a current list of them here:
Step 4: Apply for certification
Applicants must complete an online application, including providing their current resume; work references to validate employment: documentation of the required professional development; and a signed code of ethics. If approved, candidates will receive an Authorization to Test.
Step 5: Complete a standardized, multiple-choice question exam
Applicants select an exam date and time, choosing from testing at an in-person testing center or through live, remote proctoring from their home or office. Results are received immediately after testing.
Step 6: Proudly display your designation
After passing the exam, certificants receive the designation from ATD CI. They receive a digital badge to share on social media platforms and in email signatures, a lapel pin, and a certificate to display.
Step 7: Apply for recertification
To keep current and to advance the profession, recertification is required every three years. Evidence of the completion of a variety of types of professional development units are required to maintain the certification. These units can fall into a variety of categories:
- Certificates from related training programs
- ATD certificate programs (for example, Virtual Instructional Design Certificate)
- Attending training and development conferences (ATD’s International Conference and Exposition)
- ATD chapter programs
- Speaking or writing articles on training and development topics
- ATD webinars
- Volunteer services (boards or officer positions)
- Authoring training and development publications
Consult the ATD Certification Institute (CI) for specific point values and requirements pertaining to recertification at www.td.org/ci-recertification.
Being a role model for learning
ATD’s leadership in the talent development field goes hand in hand with its leadership in offering certification for the broader profession and the continuous learning that’s needed to keep skills relevant. As a talent development professional, it’s important for you to be an advocate for a culture of lifelong learning. Practitioners need to remain diligent about enhancing and expanding their own knowledge and skills to align with evolutions in technology, artificial intelligence, learning science, and global economic factors. This diligence includes embracing continuous learning for yourself and modeling the best way to stay abreast of trends and environmental factors. Talent development professionals can serve as leaders in this area and help prepare their organizations to take advantage of the opportunities the future will hold.
Being part of a profession means keeping up to date on the body of knowledge and keeping pace with changes in the field. Regardless of which stage of your career you find yourself in, there is always something new to learn. A new skill could be a stepping-stone to your next great role or help you discover a new passion within the field.
You can be a model of professionalism. Start your journey toward certification today. For more information about ATD’s Talent Development Capability Model, visit www.td.org/capabilitymodel or send an email to [email protected].
Your career depends on your continued ability to upskill and add value. Use the Capability Model to design your career path. Distinguish yourself by pursuing the APTD first and following with the CPTD credential. The Capability Model self-assessment and learning plan feature can help you create a personalized road map to take your career to the next level.
Earning the APTD or CPTD certification can be life changing because it validates what you know and do for a living. Increasingly, professional certifications set people apart, and pursuit of certification is one way to invest in your future.
Certification is a small step in your career that can make a huge difference in your life. Or as Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”