KMPro - The Only Non-Profit and International Knowledge Management Professional Society:
Knowledge Management (KM) Certification, like any other form of professional
certification, is “earned from a Professional society” [1]
which is defined as a “professional association (also called a professional
body, professional organization, or professional society) that is a non-profit
organization seeking to further a particular profession, the interests
of individuals engaged in that profession, and the public interest.” [2]
And a non-profit organization is one which “does not distribute its
surplus funds to owners or shareholders.” [3]
KMPro [4] was founded in 2001 as a “non-profit” [5] “professional association” [6] serving the international Knowledge Management Community. [7] As the world’s largest organization for Knowledge Management professionals,
we have a global reputation as a Knowledge Management “Centre of Excellence.”
Knowledge Management Certification Standards:
KMPro is the only international, non-profit, Professional Society in the
field of Knowledge Management [5][6][7] and as such, KMPro sets the standards for certification within
the KM professional community. KMPro operates its Knowledge Management Certification Board (KMCB)® as its Knowledge Management “international standards body” to develop, interpret and maintain standards that “address the interests of a wide base of users outside the standard-developing organization.” [8] The KMPro CKM certification workshop is provided by the owner of the training program - Hudson Associates Consulting, Inc., who originated KM certification in 1995. That workshop content has been reviewed by KMPro and its Knowledge Management Certification Board (KMCB)® and has been validated as meeting KMPro’s standards for KM certification.
Additionally, we utilize two other methods to validate the KMPro CKM certification program – by conducting pre- and post-workshop individual assessments of learning, and by utilizing a “Kirkpatrick Level 4” measure of training effectiveness methodolgy to evaluate the effect on the trainee's organization resulting from the improved performance of the trainee having received the KMPro CKM certification. [9][10] According to the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) less than 8% of organizations evaluate the effectiveness of training programs using this stringent criteria. [10]
KMPro also offers the only Knowledge Management Advanced Professional Certification Program to allow those holding KMPro CKM certifications the opportunity to further their professional development through “career progression” certifications. Through its KMPro Advanced Professional Certification Program experienced Knowledge Management practitioners based on demonstration of practical application of Knowledge Management are able to earn the Certified Knowledge Management Professional (CKMP) and Master Certified Knowledge Management Professional (MKMP) designations. [11]
We are confident that the KMPro CKM certification program well meets the needs of KMPro and its members as the main professional body of the KM community. And for that reason each KMPro CKM certification workshop handbook and each CKM certification certificate bear the seal as a “Knowledge Management Certification Board Approved Certification” and no other training program has been validated as meeting KMPro’s standards for KM certification.
KMPro as a professional society awards KM Continuing Education Units (KM-CEU) and is the only Knowledge Management professional society which awards CEUs for Knowledge Management education. CEU records are widely used to provide evidence of completion of continuing education requirements mandated by certification bodies, professional societies, or governmental licensing boards. [12]
KMPro - De facto Standard for Knowledge Management Training & Certification:
“A de facto standard is a custom, convention, product, or system that has achieved a dominant position by public acceptance or market forces (such as early entrance to the market)” [13] and “is a standard (formal or informal) that has achieved a dominant position, by tradition, enforcement, or market dominance.” [14] As KMPro is the only international non-profit professional society and was established long before any other existing societies, and as KMPro's CKM training provider has conducted KM certification and training programs since 1995 for more than 5,000 participants in hundreds and hundreds of organizations - more KM training to more individuals and organizations than anywhere else, KMPro is clearly the “A de facto standard” for the KM training community. [15]
Who You Get Your KM Training or Certification From is Important:
Do you
want your training from the professional society that leads the KM community,
or do you want your training from a private sector company? We believe that the answer to this question can be found in understanding the “types of certifications” and the impact that this has upon both “development level and portability.” [16]
Listed by increased development and portability levels, those types of certifications are [16]:
Type 1 Certification: Corporate/Internal Certifications - this certification has “limited portability” and “it is the most simple to develop.”
Type 2 Certification: Product Specific Certifications - this certification is used extensively “in the information technology (IT) industry, where personnel are certified on a version of software or hardware” and portability is limited to those that use that software.
Type 3 Certification: Profession-Wide - this professional certification is offered by a professional society and is “portable to all places a certified professional might work.”
KMPro offers Type 3 Certifications which are professional certifications that are recognized profession- and industry-wide. [17]
