By Brett Zielke
The Communication Management Professional (CMP) certification program has been officially accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The process of obtaining accreditation is often long, but it was a goal of the Global Communication Certification Council (GCCC) since the very beginning. As a result, CMP requirements have not changed with this accreditation.
The Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP) application for accreditation will begin in the coming year. With this, scope of the accreditation will be expanded to include the SCMP program. There are many standards through which a program can become ANSI accredited. Perhaps a more commonly known ANSI accredited program falling under the ISO17024 standard is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credentials. See a full directory of ISO17024 accredited programs for further information.
The ANSI accreditation is internationally recognized and is the first personal certification accreditation body in the United States to meet internationally accepted practices for accreditation, as well as the first to become a signatory of the Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC) Multilateral Arrangement (MLA) for ISO/IEC 17024.
“In a competitive professional landscape, CMP is now the only communication program with this internationally recognized designation. Our certification provides practitioners with a significant distinction, both with their employer and the wider marketplace,” said Brad Whitworth, IABC Fellow and Chair of the GCCC.
The purpose of the Global Communication Certification Council has been to identify and distinguish different communication career milestones. The GCCC’s CMP reflects that the recipient has met the proper criteria in regards to education, and personal and professional experience in communications, which is determined by a standardized test.
Now, what does this mean for our Calgary members? Anyone who successfully obtains their CMP will be able to add a designation that is globally recognized, enhancing their international job perspectives and further elevating themselves as professionals.
Since its launch in 2015, 242 people have received GCCC certifications. The CMP and SCMP programs are available to not just IABC members, but non-members as well.
More information about the GCCC and its programs can be found at gcccouncil.org