Benefits of Certification in Ontario

Benefits for Career Development Practitioners

• Certification establishes you as an expert and innovator in your field consistent with the National Standards and Guidelines
• Certification confirms your mastery of critical professional competencies and recognizes your professional development and growth
• Certification demonstrates to your clients, peers, employers and funders that you use industry-respected best practices
• Certification can set you apart from the competition to gain a competitive edge professionally
• The process of achieving and maintaining certification demonstrates that you are continually improving and refining your practice

Benefits for our Field

• Certification raises the bar for our field, demonstrating to our employers/funders, policy makers and the public that our work is grounded in professional excellence
• Certification operationalizes the competency standards and ethical guidelines that were established through the National Standards and Guidelines, defines our scope of practice and supports quality service delivery

Benefits for Employers and Funders of CDPs.

• Certification can differentiate between hiring candidates. Beyond considering an individual’s experience, employers can assess their knowledge and interest in professional growth and development
• Certification helps you to identify those who have the desire to excel professionally
• Certification is a tool to help you in targeting staff training and professional development
• Certification helps you to demonstrate to funders and other stakeholders that your business is run professionally

Benefits for the Public

• Certification affords the public the opportunity to make an informed selection of services based on the knowledge and training demonstrated by Certified CDPs
• Certification ensures a commitment to ethical professional behaviour

Still have questions? Read our FAQ’s answers here.