CERTIFICATION

By Jerry Handlon, IPRA President

One of the more important, yet controversial issues facing Leisure professionals today is Certification. Comments and questions are continually voiced regarding certification such as: It takes time. It takes effort. It costs money. It has no tangible benefit nor value, so it is not worth the time, effort and cost. Fortunately, that view is not held by an increasing number of IPRA members. Currently over 30% of our members have become certified. Frankly, while many reasons for not being certified may be given, the only thing those reasons have in common is that they are all excuses.

No one says the system or criteria used in certification—from university accreditation to individual certification, is completely without fault. But because of that acknowledgement and a commitment to refinement, we are reaching a point where the accreditation of universities is meaningful, and where a certification test that has been developed will be both valid and reliable.

What leisure professionals must realize, accept, and support is that while the process may have faults, the concept does not. As a group, people in the leisure profession are seeking and demanding recognition as a profession. That is a status applied collectively, but earned individually. Each person within this field is responsible for the recognition of excellence in this profession. The concept of certification is but one means of saying collectively, we as a profession are concerned about the professional excellence of individuals and, as such, have established an expectation of the basic criteria that should be met by a leisure professional.

The current concept of certification simply calls for the voluntary review of credentials by fellow professionals. Whether it is an initial certification, or recertification, that review clearly states the belief in the importance of meeting a basic level of expertise and then expanding that expertise through continuing education.

Certification does take time, effort, and costs money. It also has a tangible benefit and value that is measured in the commitment to a cause and by the recognition received from one's peers for the efforts to gain and or maintain a degree of professional excellence. While certification may not always offer a monetary value or job security, it does provide an individual with a personal sense of accomplishment. Without the personal commitment to become certified, how can we ever expect it to be a factor in job security or monetary enhancement.

The next time that a real estate agent or financial planner sends you some correspondence, look closely at the letters behind their name. Few people outside of those professions know the meaning of those letter groupings or the requirements imposed by their industries to earn them. The existence of those letters, however, implies that they have met some criteria to earn that right and signifies that some effort has been made to distinguish them from other agents or planners. Those letters also imply a level of confidence in the agent or planners abilities by their customers.

The existence of those certifications allows a reasonable and logical deduction to be made that at some point in time those industries began instituting the use of certifications which required acceptance by the industry first and the consumer second. Until that "in-house" support was generated, the commercial value (tangible benefit) did not and could not exist. That means there was a time when agents and planners sought and earned those certifications on a voluntary basis solely for the value of peer recognition.

This is where IPRA and NRPA are today. Should we not be displaying CLP and CLT after our names more frequently? The lesson to be learned is that if we cannot support the concept of certification in its developmental stages, how can we expect it to ever achieve the status of desirable for employment or equate to monetary value. If we cannot collectively support a basic premise of professional excellence through certification, we cannot expect the support of the public, other professions and the agencies or companies that employ us.

Failure to acquire and maintain certification because of the process deprives this profession of needed input to solve problems associated with the process. Failure to support the concepts sends a mighty signal to others that, as a group seeking professional recognition, we can not muster support nor interest from our own members to believe in the importance of requirements to measure levels of professional excellence.

Currently, there is a call for all eligible candidates to apply for certification before May 1, 1990. Applications will be reviewed by the current standards. Those individuals who qualify as certified Leisure Professionals or Provisional Professionals prior to May 1, 1990, will be exempt from taking the examination October 13, 1990.

It is important that eligible individuals take advantage of this opportunity. If you do not meet the qualifications for CLP or Provisional Professional and apply prior to May 1, you will be required to take the October 13 exam under the new criteria. If you have any questions regarding your eligiblity or need a certification application sent to you, Call Sue Henry at the IPRA office (708) 991-2820, or Vince Castellanoz at (708) 739-0272. Hurry, time is running out.

So take the time. Make the effort. Spend the money. Accept the benefit and value of recognition by your peers. Just DON'T QUIT on the concept. DON'T EVER QUIT — it's all part of the vision!