Creating possibilities, opening doors, and fostering a safe haven for people to learn from one another and see themselves in a new light, capable of anything. This is how I have always seen my role in training. Training is not dumping countless facts onto hundreds of people, but instead facilitating the possible. That’s why I have always loved it. 

Throughout my 10 years in higher education, I have created training programs in each role that I held. I was always surprised that even though we were an institution of learning, we didn’t have a dedicated team looking at training delivery and supporting the development of faculty and staff in a thoughtful way. 

For the most part, training took the form of a PowerPoint that was read word by word to the audience, and I knew this was not the kind of training that invoked discussion and learning transfer. I decided I wanted to make a change: I wanted to truly train people so that they not only enjoyed themselves, but could also apply what they had learned when they got back to their offices. 

As I was looking at professional development opportunities online, I found the website for the Association for Talent Development. I was excited about the credibility the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) certificate would add to my career. I wanted find out how to make all the crazy ideas for training in my head come to life. 

I was a little nervous about the requirements—passing the Knowledge Exam and providing a Work Product—in order to get my CPLP. In addition to having two children under the age of three and a teenager, I was busy and working full time. So, I decided to sign up for the two-day workshop to prepare for the CPLP. I picked my test date and crossed my fingers that I would be able to make it all work. 

As I walked into the workshop, I was happily surprised. Everyone came from different industries and backgrounds. I was able to ask questions, seek input, and bounce ideas off of my fellow participants. I learned strategies to take the exam and how to best provide a work sample. When I came out of the workshop I was determined to pass and had a plan in place to conquer the CPLP. 

During this journey, I realized that I was just like my learners: I need to look to the future and see that I am capable of anything, What’s more, I needed to understand that if I put my mind to something, anything is possible. It just takes determination, guidance, hard work, and some encouragement along the way. 

Learn more about the CPLP Certification.