Certification

["Larry Kunz ((919) 254-6395)" <ldkunz -at- VNET -dot- IBM -dot- COM>]

Just to let everyone know where STC (the Society for Technical
Communication) is on the question of certification:

STC does *not* have a certification program.  We are, however, doing
research to decide whether we should start one and, if so, what form
it should take.

In May 1996 the STC Board of Directors approved, in principle, a
Request for Proposals (RFP) for formal research into certification.
The RFP was returned to STC's Certification Issues committee for
revisions; we hope to have the board's approval in September and we
hope to have formal research begin in early 1997.

Meanwhile we're doing quite a bit of informal research:  surveying
STC members, leading discussions at chapter and regional meetings,
even reading the debates in TECHWR-L.

Here are a couple of resources for more information:

- See "Professional Certification:  Evolution, Revolution, or
  Status Quo?" by Terry Skelton and me, in the Proceedings from
  the 1996 STC Annual Conference (pp. 144-147).

- STC chapters can obtain videotape copies of a panel discussion
  about certification by contacting the Society office.  (This
  was originally broadcast by satellite in November 1995, and it
  features two TECHWR-Lers, Bonni Graham and me.)

And now, back to our regularly scheduled stuff.

Larry Kunz
STC Assistant to the President for Professional Development
ldkunz -at- vnet -dot- ibm -dot- com

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