Presentation given in Rochester on April 23, 2012, Toronto on December 8, 2010 and January 19, 2011 to introduce members to the new STC Certification Program launched in May 2011.
1. Certified Professional Technical
Communicator™ CPTC Program
ARE YOU READY?
ROB HANNA
S T C C E R T I F I C AT I O N C O M M I S S I O N V I C E - C H A I R
AT T H E S P E C T R U M C O N F E R E N C E
APRIL 23, 2012
2. Certification and Professions
A profession is marked by three essential pillars:
A code of ethics
A unique body of knowledge
Certification of qualified practitioners
3. Certification Drivers
Legitimize the contributions of, and respect for, our
profession
Establish uniform worldwide performance standards
Increase the employability and earning potential for
certified practitioners
Reduce risk for employers
Satisfy employers’ expectations
4. Value to 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
5. Guiding Principles
Certification is voluntary Assessment involves a
Certification focuses on variety of methods
uniform areas of practice A core certification provides
where technical the basis for certification
communicators provide growth
unique value Applicants must agree to
Applicants must meet adhere to the STC Code of
prerequisites to be eligible Ethics
for certification Opportunities are provided
Applicants must to applicants for
demonstrate remediation
knowledge, skills, and Once granted, certification
experience must be maintained
6. Certification Milestones
First discussed in 1964
First STC-sanctioned work: Ad Hoc Committee on
Certification in 1975
Six membership surveys:
1975, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1995, 1997
Certification RFP issued in 1985
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
Approved by STC Board on 30 April 2010
First certifications issued: 2012
7. STC Certification Commission
Incorporated in 2011, in
Virginia, as a 501(c)(6)
organization, subsidiary of STC
Responsible for establishing
certification policies and
overseeing operations
Adjudicates appeals and
professional conduct reviews
Steven Jong (Chair)
Separate Rob Hanna (Vice Chair)
bylaws, policies, procedures, fi Stephen Murphy (Secretary)
nances Charles Fisher (Treasurer)
One “member”—The STC—and Saul Carliner
two crossover STC Karen Baranich (STC Board)
commissioners Kathryn Burton (STC CEO)
8. Development of Evaluation Criteria
Over the summer of 2010, members of the STC
Certification Committee met in Fairfax, VA
Sessions were facilitated by Clarence Chaffee, an
experienced certification and assessment consultant
The group produced:
Profile of a certified Technical Communicator
136 separate elements weighted against a survey of 70 of our
industry’s thought-leaders
Scoring criteria needed to demonstrate the required elements
9. Prerequisite Qualifications
Candidates for certification must
Be persons of good character, unencumbered by any
conviction of a felony or indictable offence;
outstanding judgment in a civil court for negligence, professional
misconduct, or incompetence; or
condition or dependency that would render them incapable of
performing or fulfilling the essential duties of a CPTC.
Possess a high school diploma and five years of full-time
employment as a technical communicator
Up to two years of work experience may be credited for completion
of approved post-secondary education in a relevant field of study
10. A Typical Certified Technical Communicator is
A person working in a professional or technical
setting, who
is able to readily adapt to a new subject area,
can select and assess the type and level of communication required to
meet the needs of the intended audience, and
support the intended purpose of the information
has the knowledge, skills, and abilities to
select and effectively apply the appropriate tools, and
plan and execute an information solution within the constraints of
corporate and regulatory requirements and appropriate industry
standards
ensures that stakeholders and consumers benefit from the
safe, appropriate, and effective use of the subject product or service.
11. Areas of Practice
User, task, experienc
e analysis Information
development
Information
design Information
production
Process
management
12. Portfolio
Assessment
1. Planning Documentation Projects
The portfolio
assessment is 2. Conducting Research
broken into 9 3. Designing Deliverables
separate
submissions used 4. Architecting Information
to demonstrate the 5. Authoring and Composition
136 elements or
KSAs
6. Demonstrating Visual Literacy
(Knowledge/Skills/ 7. Reviewing, Editing, and Testing
Abilities)
8. Managing Content
9. Producing Deliverables
13. Evaluation Process
Application screened by STC office
Packet examined by up to three trained evaluators
(who receive honoraria)
Under non-disclosure
Objective evaluation against established criteria
14. Fee Schedule
Fees (USD) STC Members Non-Members
Initial Application $99 $125
Portfolio Evaluation $595 $695
Annual Maintenance $49 $69
Recertification (every 3 years) No charge No charge
16. Maintaining Certification
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 requires
proof of attendance
Screened by STC office
19. Expanding Certification Beyond Writers
Areas of practice can be
weighted
Specialty certifications
(future)
Opportunity for
partnerships with other
organizations
20. To learn more and get started
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