There are many careers that exude a certain level of professionalism—just by virtue of the skill, competence, and education or certification they require. Think: doctor, lawyer, engineer, accountant, mechanic, and so on. However, in the human resources (HR) field, determining the level of professionalism is not so easy—or a given.  

In the last 20 years, HR professionals working in the areas of policy, recruitment (oops, now called “talent acquisition”), and staffing could validate their skill and competence through organizations that promote HR management certifications. Even with these certifications, though, the workplace performance and career development aspects of HR tend to be viewed as subsets of the broader human resources management. 

Enter the CPLP. Not until the Association for Talent Development (formerly the American Society for Training and Development) developed the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) certification was there recognition of workplace learning, performance, and development as an equal organizational HR partner. 

In other words, there was no other opportunity to become a fully certified professional—with a capital “P”. For this reason, it was my choice (even after retirement from federal service) to pursue the CPLP. The CPLP validated the many years of skill and competence development that I had accrued over my federal career, as well as refreshed and refocused my knowledge of the workplace learning, performance, and development industry (public and private sector). 

I would highly recommend that anyone seeking to be taken seriously as a workplace development specialist check out the CPLP. Attaining the CPLP will bring their performance and professionalism to a level that is becoming recognized not only nationally, but also internationally.

Learn more about the CPLP Certification.