stc certification presentation

Certification Committee

Carolina Chapter, August 20101

Technical Communication Certification:

20 Questions AnsweredSteven Jong

STC Certification Committee



Who is Steve and why is he here?

• STC Senior Member (1982–)

• Active in publications competitions at chapter and international levels (1992–)

• Boston Chapter president, 2004–2005

• STC Director at Large, 2007–2010

• Chairman, STC Certification Task Force, 2007–2010

• Chairman, STC Certification Committee (2010–)



What is certification?

The process through which an organization grants recognition to an individual ... [who] meets certain established criteria.

•“Certificate” versus “certification”•“Certification” versus “licensure”•“Licensure” versus “accreditation”

3Certification Committee




What does this have to do with our profession?A profession is marked by three attributes:•A unique body of knowledge•A code of ethics•Certification of qualified practitioners



What took so long?• First discussed in 1964(!)

• First sanctioned work: Ad Hoc Committee on Certification in 1975

• Membership surveys: 1975, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1995, 1997

• Certification RFP issued in 1985; response not pursued

• Feasibility study

commissioned in 1998

• Began work on Body of Knowledge (BoK) in 2007

• Benchmarking report on professions in 2008

• Value proposition adopted in 2009

• Certification program approved by Board on 30 April 2010



Why did STC finally accept certification?• Legitimize the contributions of, and respect

for, our profession• Establish uniform worldwide performance

standards• Increase the employability and salary of

certified practitioners• Satisfy employers’ expectations• Reduce hiring risk for employers• Bring in non-dues revenue for the Society



What is STC trying to achieve?

• Certification is voluntary

• Certification focuses on uniform areas of practice where technical communicators provide unique value

• Applicants must meet prerequisites to be eligible for certification

• Applicants must demonstrate knowledge, skills, and experience

• Assessment involves a variety

of methods

• A core certification provides the basis for certification growth

• Applicants must agree to adhere to the STC Code of Ethics

• Opportunities are provided to applicants for remediation

• Once granted, certification must be maintained



What is STC certifying?

1.User, task, and experience analysis2. Information design3.Process management4. Information development5. Information production6.Review coordination and

reconciliation



What’s the value of certification?



0

What’s in it for me?



1

What’s in it for employers?• Employers find that

certified professionals are more often competent and successful than uncertified ones

• Employers spend less to hire, train, and replace certified employees

• Therefore, employers seek out and pay more for certified professionals



2

What’s it gonna cost?

• ISPI: $995

• The Data Warehousing Institute: $975

• ASTD: $799

• Human Factors International: $750

• IEEE: $645

• STC online certificate course $595 (member)

• APMP: $450

• ASQ: $450

• IIBA: $450

• PMI: $405

• Accreditation in Public Relations: $385

• ABC: $320

• AMWA (certificate): $275

• BELS: $250

TBD, but consider these association fees:



3

What might be in the application packet?

• Résumé or curriculum vitae

• Attestation from you and your client (boss)

• Signed Code of Ethics

• Work samples and artifacts

• Accounts (stories) of projects



4

How will evaluation work?• Several sessions per year

• Application screened by STC office• Packet examined by three trained evaluators (who receive

honoraria)• Under non-disclosure• Each evaluator looks at three packets (evaluator-applicant

ratio is 1:1)• Evaluate against established criteria

• Results: • 3–0 vote: certify• 2–1 vote: return for clarification• 1–2 or 0–3 vote: reject



5

What about the BoK?

• The STC BoK is being fleshed out

• It will become the basis for future examinations

• It will become the basis for future specialty certifications



6

•Certificate•Plaque•Pin•Logo•Designation •Listing on

Web site

What are certification marks?

Steven Jong, RTFM



7

I have a tech comm degree. Why should I get certified?•Certification

assesses both what you know and what you’ve done

•However, a technical communication degree (or equivalent) is a solid foundation to becoming certified



8

I can’t demonstrate/don’t know an area. How can I get

certified?• Use completed

projects, not current ones

• Use samples from previous jobs

• Redact samples

• Do the case study instead

• Take a class first



9

I’m not a writer. What about me?

• Specialty certifications (future)

• Requires BoK

•Opportunity for partnerships



0

Will I have to maintain my certification?

• Yes—certification is good for three years

• To maintain it, continue your education to maintain current skills or learn new skills, and stay active in field

• Reapplication packet contains fee and proof of course attendance

• Screened by STC office

• Results: Recertify or return



1

•Only STC has the international reach to offer international certification

•We can use the same model internationally

•Requires the BoK•We must revalidate our work

outside the North American market

What about international certification?



If you want to learn more

or help out

STC Certification CommitteeSteven Jong, [email protected]

23

mailto:[email protected]

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