(Alexandria, VA), July 26, 2022—The Association for Talent Development (ATD) has launched a DEI in Talent Development Certificate program that is specifically designed for talent development practitioners. It is the first education program of its kind for the L&D profession and those who develop others in the workplace.

Company culture has moved to the forefront of workplace discussions, and DEI is playing a critical role in that conversation. This certificate course explores key themes and concepts around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and the tools necessary to support DEI in organizations. Talent professionals are in a unique position to foster more inclusive workplaces and ensure all employees are respected and engaged. They can do this by taking a holistic view of organization-wide DEI efforts, connecting these individual efforts to an overall strategy, and aligning leadership around goals and measures of impact. However, one of the most significant barriers to DEI integration is lack of clarity on who should drive efforts and how to execute those efforts in a way that will create meaningful and beneficial change.

The new ATD offering addresses those challenges by providing participants with a personal, professional, and organizational perspective on DEI and strategies to expand their mindset, practices, and influence. The course uses an interactive and practical approach designed to give participants the resources and tools necessary to communicate with key stakeholders and turn strategies into action. ATD modeled inclusivity practices in the development of this unique offering by convening a group of subject matter experts to contribute to the conversation around what a new standard of practice around DEI needed to look like for the talent development profession. This guidance directly informed what’s taught in the course and is aligned to the Cultural Awareness & Inclusion Capability of ATD’s Talent Development Capability Model™. The Capability Model gives talent professionals a blueprint of what they need to know and do to be successful as individual and organizational contributors.

“A common misconception is that DEI is an initiative or program when in fact, to create a lasting impact, it must be fully integrated into an organization’s culture and talent management practices,” said Courtney Vital, vice president of learning at ATD. “We see talent development professionals as uniquely positioned to support, enable, and drive DEI efforts because of their understanding of how people contribute to an organizational ecosystem and the levers of opportunity available to communicate, train, equip, and empower employees toward the goal of creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment.”

This new certificate program will help TD professionals:

• Identify factors that shape identity and culture, including race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation/identity, age, physical abilities/qualities, and neurodiversity.

• Discover how cultural norms affect beliefs, values, behaviors, and decisions and their potential impact on workplace dynamics.

• Demonstrate inclusive leadership skills, including co-creating an environment where diverse perspectives are considered, using storytelling to create safe spaces, and making space for people to be seen, heard, understood, and valued.

Topics covered in this three-day in-person and virtual course include building self-awareness of DEI, exploring cultural dynamics at work, communicating within and across differences, and integrating DEI into the talent development strategy. The DEI in Talent Development Certificate is eligible for 21.0 professional development hours or recertification points from the ATD Certification Institute (ATD CI) for the APTD® or CPTD® credential and has been approved for 21.0 (General) recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute.

Information about the certificate can be found here.

About ATD

ATD is the world’s largest professional membership organization supporting those who develop the knowledge and skills of employees, improve performance, and help achieve results for the organizations they serve. Established in 1943, the association was previously known as the American Society for Training & Development.

ATD’s members come from more than 100 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. ATD supports talent development professionals who gather locally in volunteer-led US chapters and international member networks and with international strategic partners.

For more information, visit td.org.

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