Professional certifications: what are they, and why are they interesting

Professional certifications are talent-attracting and retaining tools that allow you to officially accredit people’s competencies according to the market’s needs and regardless of the source of acquiring these skills and knowledge. 

This official accreditation instrument increases the confidence of your employees and your clients in your project. 

The certificate of professionalism thus addresses professional profiles as sets of identifiable competencies in the productive system, as well as recognized and valued in the labor market. Therefore, understanding their implications and what they can bring to your company is necessary for you to know all the benefits you can access through them.

What are professional certifications? 

These professional certifications recognize an individual’s knowledge, skills, and experience in a particular field or profession. These certifications are typically obtained by passing an exam or completing a specific fieldwork experience. Professional certifications can be helpful for several reasons, including:

• Demonstrating to employers that you have the knowledge and skills to do a job
• Helping you stand out from other job candidates
• Improving your earning potential
• Providing opportunities for career advancement
• Giving you access to professional networks and resources

Professional associations, educational institutions, or certification bodies often offer professional certifications. These certifications can be in various fields, such as finance, healthcare, technology, etc. Some examples of professional certifications include the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certification, the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, and the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification.

What are professional certifications for?

Professional certifications are strategic for society as a whole since they make it possible:

• To certify that the person has the professional qualifications or competencies necessary to perform a specific job. They would have been acquired through official training, work experience, or unofficial channels. 
• To promote continuous, flexible, and accessible training for citizens, structured in modules that allow the acquisition of new skills and professional qualifications. 
• To nurture labor market transparency for employers and workers at national, European, and international levels.
• To increase the quality of the supply of vocational employment training. 
• To classify the training courses of the vocational training subsystem for employment.
• To contribute to the integration, transfer, and recognition of the various vocational training offers.

How are professional certificates obtained?

Professional certifications can be obtained in 2 ways: 

1. Completing the necessary modules to get the certificate, accumulating the module on nonlabor practices, and the partial accreditations of the training modules associated with the competence units included in the professional certifications.

People can apply for the accumulative partial accreditation of the units of competence they have passed through a training process.

2. Evaluating the professional competencies acquired through work experience or non-formal training accredited by the person.

The training linked to the professional certificates can be issued face to-face or by tele-training means, if the system offers the necessary conditions for interaction between teachers and students (such as accessibility to resources, security, exchange, etc.)

HR professional certifications: why are they important?

For several reasons, professional certifications can also be necessary for human resources (HR) professionals. 

Firstly, HR professionals are responsible for hiring and developing employees, so having a thorough understanding of the field and the qualifications required for different positions can be beneficial. Professional certifications can also help HR professionals stay up-to-date on industry best practices and trends and provide them with the knowledge and skills they need to manage and support their organization’s employees effectively.

In addition, having a professional certification can help HR professionals advance their careers and increase their earning potential. It also gives them access to professional networks and resources, which can help them make professional contacts and continue their professional development. Furthermore, having a professional certification can enhance an HR professional’s credibility and reputation within their organization and the wider industry.

Why are professional certifications interesting for companies?

At this point, the first advantage of professional certifications for companies is that they are tools that allow access to profiles that demonstrate that they have the necessary experience to be productive from day one.

But there are other benefits, such as:

• To facilitate the acquisition of hidden or undiscovered talent both internally and externally.
• Help to prove that the employees are suitably qualified in the event of an audit. 
• Increase customer confidence by objectively verifying the company’s level of expertise.
• Increase the performance of an organization.

Thanks to these certificates, employees also benefit from them as they frame their competencies within an official context, increasing their employability.

In addition, thanks to this type of accreditation, employees can access continuous education programs and develop solid career plans that adapt to the market’s needs.

Our proctoring products can reinforce your employees’ commitment to your project by providing safe, respectful, and professional environments for training, coaching, and team evaluations.

Request us a free demo where you could try our innovative solutions to increase your company’s and your human capital’s competitiveness.