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 A Message From the Chief Learning Officer
It’s 2008, and we’re gearing up for another great year at ASTD-Cascadia! There's no time like the present to be in the Workplace Learning & Performance (WL&P) field. Increasingly, organizational leaders understand and appreciate the strategic importance of our profession. Like lawyers, doctors, and accountants we'll soon be recognized as a distinct profession by the U.S. Department of Labor. And for the first time in our history, we have integrated the diverse disciplines of our profession into one body of knowledge known as the ASTD Competency Model. What a grand time it is to be us!
Over the past few years you've probably received a number of mailings from ASTD National about the Certified Professional in Learning and
Performance (CPLP) credential. You may even know someone who's begun working toward it or who's even completed it – our local chapter has 2 such certified CPLP-ers – Shari Ward and Kerri Nussbaum! Congratulations to you both for your hard work and for helping to elevate our profession!
The big news is that CPLP is not just an acronym. Underpinning the certification is the ASTD Competency Model that describes the key competencies required for WL&P professionals today and in the future. The model organizes the WL&P field into nine distinct Areas of Expertise:
1. Designing learning
2. Delivering training
3. Improving human performance
4. Measuring and evaluating
5. Facilitating organizational change
6. Managing the learning function
7. Coaching
8. Managing organizational knowledge
9. Career planning and talent management
The ASTD Competency Model has several important benefits for our profession. On an individual level, the model presents a holistic view of the field, and clarifies the range of capabilities required for each of us to be effective. Moreover, the model enables each of us to identify our knowledge gaps and plan our professional development.
Take a few moments and evaluate yourself on each of the Areas of Expertise above. In what areas do you consider yourself an expert? Would you consider the ultimate challenge of turning around and teaching your colleagues what you know? (If so, drop me a note!) In what areas do you only have a cursory knowledge? How are you planning to fill your skill and knowledge gaps? If you're like most WL&P professionals, your assessment will reveal that you have strengths in 2-3 of the competencies but have a limited understanding of the others. What are the implications for your development? How might you build capabilities in other areas, even within the context of your current role? How do you commit to yourself in 2008 to continue to develop your skills? …KNOW that ASTD-Cascadia is right here to help you do just that!
The Cascadia Chapter of ASTD offered over 80 different networking and educational programs to WL&P professionals throughout Oregon and SW Washington in 2007…and we’re on track for even more in 2008. More than 90% of those programs mapped directly to building knowledge and skills in the 9 Areas of Expertise identified in the ASTD Competency Model.
As a WL&P Professional – you likely joined our professional organization for one of four reasons:
1) To develop your professional skills and knowledge;
2) to network with colleagues;
3) to give back to your community of professionals; and/or
4) to build your consulting business.
ASTD-Cascadia offers our members (and those yet to join) ALL those benefits – and now is helping to lend credibility to our profession through the CPLP Certification.
The WL&P field is evolving incredibly quickly and each of us (whether an internal or an external) should consider continuously building our skills to add value to our clients and our organizations. Visit the National ASTD CPLP web site at www.astd.org/content/ASTDcertification/ to understand the importance of both the ASTD Competency Model and the CPLP certification. Especially click the links along the left side of the page and take some time to poke around and learn about WHY a competency model is important to our profession and WHY CPLP Certification might be in YOUR future in 2008!
ASTD-Cascadia will be piloting a CPLP study group in early spring ‘08. I invite you determine whether certification is for you in 2008, and register on this web site in a few weeks to be a part of our CPLP Pilot study group. And if CPLP is out later in your future – don’t be a stranger! Keep coming back to our web site regularly and check our Programs, Blog, Podcasts and Special Interest Groups (SIG’s)….there’s something for EVERYONE here!
Happy New Year!
Julie Bulrice
Chief Learning Officer
ASTD-Cascadia Chapter
julie.bulrice@adidas.com
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