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Creating a professional certification for the sustainability practitioner:
UPDATE: Nov 10, 2015
Maureen Hart, ISSP Executive Director
• Update on the applications and examsISSP-SA and ISSP-CSP
• Hiring Manager Survey• Next Steps
www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org
Listen to the recording of the June 2015 Certification Update Webinar for more details on the history and background of the process
ISSP Sustainability Professional Certification
Two levels – both requiring on-going professional development to maintain the credential•ISSP Sustainability Associate (ISSP-SA)
• Code of Ethics Declaration• Pass ISSP-SA Certification Exam (Topic 1 in Job Task Analysis)
•ISSP Certified Sustainability Professional• Meet ISSP-SA requirement• Pass ISSP-CSP Certification Exam (Topics 2-6 in JTA)• Educational qualifications• Work experience
www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org
ISSP-SA Beta Certification Candidates
www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org
Africa (excl N.Africa)
3%
Americas81%
Asia-Pacific10%
Europe & Central Asia
4%
Mid East& North Africa
2%
Geographic Distribution
ISSP Beta Certification Application and Testing Process
www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org
ISSP-SA Process• 153 people took the Beta test • Changes made to registration and application system• Next steps:
• Calculating cut score (passing grade) • Announce 1st ISSP-SA cohort Dec 15
ISSP-CSP (must already be registered for ISSP-SA)• 80 registrations received • Applications due by Oct 2nd
• Test window – October 19 – Nov 15• Results in December
ISSP Sustainability Hiring Survey
What we wanted to know:• What skills and attributes are organizations looking for
when hiring a sustainability professional?
Why we wanted to know it:• Guidance for our members: aspiring and seasoned
professionals• Learning objectives for training and education• Validation of ISSP professional certifications • Relationship to ISSP 2010 Competency Study
www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org
Methodology• Target audience: Sustainability hiring managers and
HR professionals• Web-based deployment: summer/fall 2015• Distributed through membership, partner
organizations (e.g. AASHE) and LinkedIn networks (e.g. Sustainability Professionals – 100,000+)
• Sample Size: 213• Administered in English only• Supplemented with one-on-one interviews
www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org
Respondents
www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org
United States
CanadaLatin America
Africa
Asia-Pacific
Europe
N Africa-Mid East
Geographic Distribution
Education
Government
Non-Governmental Organization
(NGO)Manufacturing
Retail
Services
Sustainability Consulting
Organization Types
Sustainability professional
Non-sustainability
Manager
HR or recruitment professional
Other
Position of Hiring Manager
Top ‘hard’ skills desired
www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org
“Project management, innovation, try and try again, and engagement are most important.”
13%
24%
25%
27%
28%
30%
35%
39%
54%
55%
62%
68%
Process management (e.g. management systems,Six Sigma)
Supply chain and vendor management
Policy expertise
Green building systems and processes
Risk assessment
Scientific expertise (e.g. climate change,toxicology, chemistry)
Auditing (e.g. sustainability, GHG)
Financial analysis (including life cycle analysis)
Systems thinking
Sustainability reporting (e.g. using GRI framework)
Project management
Strategic planning
Top skills from 2010 ISSP Competency Study:1. Strategic planning2. Systems thinking3. Project management
Top ‘soft’ skills desired
www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org
“In an academic environment it is of critical importance that a sustainability professional is able to engage others on a voluntary basis, using a grassroots approach.”
36%
43%
44%
50%
51%
62%
62%
63%
67%
Consensus building
Innovating the business
Flexibility and adaptability
Networking
Motivating and Inspiring Others
Team-building and collaboration
Problem Solving
Influencing Change
Communication
Top skills from 2010 ISSP Competency Study:1. Communication2. Problem Solving3. Motivating and Inspiring
Education
www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Agriculture
Architecture
Business
Communications
Economics
Engineering
Environmental Sciences
Marketing
Social Sciences
Sustainability
Urban Planning
Most Common Area of Study
High School
Bachelor's degree
Master's Degree
Doctorate
Minimum Education Level
“With the growth of sustainability programs at the undergrad and masters level across the country, we are seeing more and more qualified candidates with masters degrees, PhDs, and very interesting work experience. It's competitive.”
Certification
www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org
“An ISSP CSP certification wouldn't automatically put someone on top of the list of candidates, but it would definitely help tip the scales in differentiating from other potential candidates.”
8%
18%
29%
29%
17%
Least Likely
Most Likely
Sustainability Certification as Hiring Criteria?
29%
71%
Yes
No
Certifications as Hiring Criteria?
21%
79%
Yes
No
Require Certifications for Staff?
Hiring Plans
www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org
“The key to hiring a sustainability professions is finding the person with the right attitude and aptitude, along with a passion for change, inclusion and flexibility in the work environment.”
34%
23%
16%
26%
No plans currently to hire sustainabilityprofessionals
Within next 3 months
Within next 6 months
Within next 12 months
Preliminary Conclusions
www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org
• Change management is key.
• Don’t forget the soft skills, especially communication!
• Education is important – coupled with experience and passion
• Certification – nice to have“Passion and ability to influence change are key”
“We can train them in subject matter, but we cannot train them to be good communicators”
Next steps• September- December
ISSP-SA Exam – ‘cut score’ ISSP-CSP Exam – testing and ‘cut score’ Survey of Beta Participants Revise/improve application and test processInitial cohort awarded ISSP-SA and ISSP-CSPsEducational Partners Program Initiated
• Launch – Dates TBDFollowing the results of the surveyStay tuned!!
• Longer termRolling applications and testingContinuous improvement: application and test process
ISSP Contact information
Maureen Hart [email protected]
Declarations of support: [email protected]
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