Enter your email below to receive weekly updates from the Ashton College blog straight to your inbox.
By: Lindsay McKay
Published On: November 24, 2021
In your current role do you manage projects or people? Do you guide organizations through periods of transformation and change? If so, then you work in the discipline of change management and getting certified in Change Management could be a perfect fit for you. Fortunately, Ashton College’s Change Management certification course is a Qualified Education Provider™ for the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) and can help you reach the goal of becoming a Certified Change Management Professional ™ (CCMP™).
Read on to learn about the ACMP, the benefits of becoming a member, and everything you need to know about the CCMP™ certification.
Interested in reading more about all things Human Resources, check out our blog!
Change Management is a relatively new field that was formalized by Prosci who tells us that for changes to be successful, we must prepare, equip and support individuals moving through changes so that they successfully adopt the changes. This can be done at two levels, the project level using structured processes and tools for leading people and the organizational level which is the leadership competency for enabling change. ACMP views Change Management Professionals as an inclusive community of any individuals who:
The ACMP has worked hard to advance change management as a profession through developing formal qualifications, code of ethics, and a professional standard for change management. So, who is the ACMP and where did they come from?
The people behind the Association of Change Management Professionals were originally volunteers who were part of a group of 200 visionary change practitioners that participated in a World Café exercise hosted by Prosci in 2009.
In February 2011, ACMO was officially incorporated and launched the membership organization at the first ACMP Global Change Conference. In 2011, ACMP also developed the Change Management Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct to set expectations for professional and personal conduct of change management practitioners. In 2014 they published the Standard for Change Management© and launched the Qualified Education Provider™ Program.
Excitedly in 2016 for the first time ever, more than 300 change management practitioners received an industry-recognized credential – the Certified Change Management Professional™!
The ACMP is a global community of like-minded professionals dedicated to leading the way change works. An ACMP membership will provide many benefits including:
ACMP offers individual, corporate, and student memberships. Learn more on their Membership Page.
There are so many different types of designations and certificates out there, so why is the CCMP™ certification so unique and what value can it bring to you?
For one thing, change management is a relatively new discipline as I have mentioned before, and the existence of a certification provides evidence that the discipline is legitimate and that the profession is highly-regarded. This certification confirms your education, experience, and knowledge as a change management practitioner and enhances your reputation in your field. The CCMP™ certification was developed according to international standards and is not only recognized worldwide but also regularly updated to reflect changing practices in the field and is backed by a strong Code of Ethics.
When an employer or client sees the CCMP™ letters behind your name they know that their company is in good hands if they decide to work with you.
Before going through the application process of becoming certified, you need to see whether you qualify for CCMP™ or what else you need to do first to become eligible. To be eligible you need a mix of education, experience, and specific change management training. To fulfil the education and experience requirement you have two options:
Both options also require you to have completed a 21-hour instructor-led change management training course in the past seven years.
Once you have completed all the eligibility requirements there is still a lengthy application and exam process to certification. Not just anyone can become certified, making the certification unique and highly sought after. Along with providing all the eligibility requirements, your online application will consist of correctly answering three out of five essay questions and signing a Statement of Understanding.
Once your application has been approved, reviews take an average of two to three weeks, you will receive a notification that you can schedule your exam! The exam consists of 150 multiple choice questions testing both your knowledge and ability to apply it to common scenarios. The questions based on ACMP’s Standard for Change Management© and the Code of Ethics. Learn more about the exam here.
Thankfully, you will get the results of your exam immediately so you don’t need to be left wondering for weeks if you passed. If you pass you will receive your official certificate in the mail. The certification will be in effect for three years and in that three-year period you must complete 60 professional development units.
Working in change management requires ongoing learning through webinars and continuing education courses. So, if you are interested in continuous learning and have an interest in disciplines like strategic planning, project management, organizational development or process improvement, a career in change management would be something to investigate. A good starting point would be to take a change management training course.
The information contained in this post is considered true and accurate as of the publication date. However, the accuracy of this information may be impacted by changes in circumstances that occur after the time of publication. Ashton College assumes no liability for any error or omissions in the information contained in this post or any other post in our blog.
View All Comments