Re-certification FAQ | Canada's Association of Information Technology Professionals

My education is not evenly distributed. I may not attend education for more than a year. How do I re-certify?
You do not have to meet the criteria in any single year. However, you must meet the criteria over the average of the last three years.

Does education in an application area, such as accounting, apply?
Yes. Courses that relate to your professional Information Technology activities qualify.

What about management or marketing courses?
Yes. They apply to re-certification, as long as they relate to your professional Information Technology activities.

I attend technical sessions held by my special interest group. How do I use them?
These apply under classroom learning as a seminar.

I am re-certifying under the ICCP re-certification program. Will this also meet the CIPS re-certification guidelines?
Depends. If you re-certify with ICCP by taking the exams, you could apply 100 credits per exam towards your CIPS re-certification. If you re-certify through any other means, you would specifically need to meet the CIPS requirements. You would need to calculate each professional development opportunity to reach the 300 credits over three years.

Does attending a trade show provide re-certification credits?
No. Time spent looking at equipment and talking to vendors may be educational but it is not within the current CIPS re-certification criteria. However, attendance at a seminar or a formal vendor presentation at a trade show would be applicable.

I spend many hours on CIPS activities. Shouldn't I get some re-certification credits for these activities?
CIPS appreciates your support, and hopes that you will continue to support your profession in this way. However, these activities may not directly contribute to currency in the profession, and as such are not applicable under the current CIPS re-certification criteria.

I do some consulting within my organization. Does this qualify as "on the job coaching"?
No. Coaching time is that time you spend being coached, not time you spend coaching others.

I am going to give a formal, professionally-related presentation. Does this qualify?
If you are teaching a professional level topic, you can credit 5 contact hours for every hour of teaching.

If I do not re-certify, what happens?
Your CIPS Certified membership (I.S.P./ITCP) will be changed to the normal CIPS membership category. You must cease using the CIPS Certified designation, and cannot indicate that you are a certified Member of CIPS. In order to re-qualify, you will need to reapply under the current certification criteria. The fee for the review process is $75 plus GST or HST.

Re-certification FAQ

My education is not evenly distributed. I may not attend education for more than a year. How do I re-certify? You do not have to meet the criteria in any single year. However, you must meet the criteria over the average of the last three years. Does education in an application area, such as accounting, apply? Yes. Courses that relate to your professional Information Technology activities qualify. What about management or marketing courses? Yes. They apply to re-certification, as long as they relate to your professional Information Technology activities. I attend technical sessions held by my special interest group. How do I use them? These apply under classroom learning as a seminar. I am re-certifying under the ICCP re-certification program. Will this also meet the CIPS re-certification guidelines? Depends. If you re-certify with ICCP by taking the exams, you could apply 100 credits per exam towards your CIPS re-certification. If you re-certify through any other means, you would specifically need to meet the CIPS requirements. You would need to calculate each professional development opportunity to reach the 300 credits over three years. Does attending a trade show provide re-certification credits? No. Time spent looking at equipment and talking to vendors may be educational but it is not within the current CIPS re-certification criteria. However, attendance at a seminar or a formal vendor presentation at a trade show would be applicable. I spend many hours on CIPS activities. Shouldn't I get some re-certification credits for these activities? CIPS appreciates your support, and hopes that you will continue to support your profession in this way. However, these activities may not directly contribute to currency in the profession, and as such are not applicable under the current CIPS re-certification criteria. I do some consulting within my organization. Does this qualify as "on the job coaching"? No. Coaching time is that time you spend being coached, not time you spend coaching others. I am going to give a formal, professionally-related presentation. Does this qualify? If you are teaching a professional level topic, you can credit 5 contact hours for every hour of teaching. If I do not re-certify, what happens? Your CIPS Certified membership (I.S.P./ITCP) will be changed to the normal CIPS membership category. You must cease using the CIPS Certified designation, and cannot indicate that you are a certified Member of CIPS. In order to re-qualify, you will need to reapply under the current certification criteria. The fee for the review process is $75 plus GST or HST.