Perspectives  Dallas Chapter of ASTD Membership Newsletter  -  July 2006  << Table of Contents <<

The CPLP™ Journey

by Janet Kafka, Director

 

Okay, so it took me a while to be able to quickly say what CPLP™ stands for….it’s a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance.  It’s a mouthful, isn’t it?  I finally was able to say it once I completed the steps associated with this voluntary credential.

 

I recently completed this certification along with two of my colleagues when I participated in the first-ever pilot program offered by the ASTD Certification Institute.  This certification is a broad-based credential established for the learning and performance professional and it covers the nine areas of expertise as defined by the ASTD Competency Model.  This model shares the competencies that are crucial to success in our profession: Designing Learning; Delivering Training; Improving Human Performance; Measuring and Evaluating; Facilitating Organizational Change; Managing the Learning Function; Coaching; Managing Organizational Knowledge; and Career Planning and Talent.

Rick Hicks (NAC Chair) presents CPLP

 to John Cox of Dallas ASTD

at the ICE conference in May.

Others from Dallas ASTD completing CPLP in first group include:  Janet Kafka, Patricia Mejia, Kelley Miller, and Barbara Walters.
 

 

There was a lot to this effort and now that it is completed (except for keeping the certification current each year!), I can look back and think it wasn’t so bad…I actually learned a great deal about how much I have accomplished over my training and development career and have discovered that my experiences in this world of learning in which we all live have been enriching and plentiful.

 

The CPLP™ certification process requires passing both a knowledge test and a work product submission. 

The knowledge test has 150 multiple-choice questions and focuses on the nine competency areas. Some areas weigh more than others.

After passing the knowledge test which is considered Part I, participants are required to submit a work product and answer questions in the area selected: designing learning, delivering training or measuring and evaluating.  Work products are samples of work from “real-life” situations.  I had recently worked on the design and development of a 90 minute training session about an online performance management tool being rolled out at my company, so, the timing could not have been better for my work product submission.

The CPLP™ credential is valid for three years.  Certification is maintained through retesting or by earning professional development credits.

I would recommend this certification to anyone in the learning and performance field.  Information about the process and requirements can be found at: http://www.astd.org/astd/CPLP/. 

 

About the Author: 

Janet has been a member of ASTD since 1977, first with the Miami, Florida Chapter until 1993 and then with the Dallas Chapter from 1993.  She has also been a National ASTD member and Dallas Chapter leadership team and Board member.  If you are interested in discussing the CPLP process in more detail, please contact her at janet.kafka@heart.org or call her at (214) 706-1853.