Here
we go again as another provider joins the self-created, self-administered, self-endorsed,
for-profit certification bandwagon using self-approved and self-determined standards.
No one should be surprised, but every
trade compliance professional needs to be concerned and fully informed. Do not get sucked in!
The
latest comes from The World Academy with their International Trade Compliance Certification (ITCC)
for Exporters and a separate ITCC for Importers. With a one-day course and $395, you too can be
a certified expert and add an acronym after your name. Is that absurd or what?
Invalid
certifications that do not meet true certification program standards with no
publicized, credible, external, independent, knowledgeable, unbiased,
third-party validation and testing by any reputable authority with no conflicts
of interest are becoming the norm.
Part
of the game is setting-up an organization or front company that sounds academic
and then creating bogus certifications to go along with it. Watch out for key words like global, international, academy and
institute and then look for the self-proclaimed certifications to follow. Keys here are revenue generation and creating
a steady money-making stream.
This
field is a lucrative marketplace as some practitioners have misplaced value in paying
money (in some cases lots of it) for adding an acronym or multiple acronyms
after their name. None of which makes a
credible expert. Additionally, some of
these for-profit vendors are collaborating and cross-marketing to maximize their
return on investment and not step on each other’s toes.
This
ongoing proliferation is a timely reminder about thorough due diligence anytime
you outsource anything. Do not spend a
penny unless and until you are absolutely certain you have all the relevant
facts to make the best and most informed decision possible. Invalid certifications are Red Flags for
savvy professionals.
There
are many out there (a growing number in fact) who are more than happy to knowingly
and willfully make false, misleading and unsubstantiated claims and
misrepresentations by any and all means, happily take your money and provide a
deficient product that creates an illusion of expertise and experience.
If
you really want to improve your position, reputation, skills and proven value
in the compliance marketplace and open more doors in your upward mobility, get
a law degree and by all means, make every effort to get what’s really
important--more real world experience.
FOOD
FOR THOUGHT/QUESTIONS: Is one invalid
certification any better or worse than another?
What impact do bogus certifications have on the trade compliance
community? Why not start your own and
share in the profits?
And
finally… JANE DOE, International Trade Expert, CCLS®, CES®,
CUSECO®, ECoP®, ITCC® and CITCP®. Are you impressed, depressed or it just
doesn’t matter?
