Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD)
Credential: Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD)
Credentialing Agency: Association for Talent Development (ATD)
Renewal Period: 3 years
The Association for Talent Development (ATD), Certified Professional in Talent Develop (CPTD), formerly the Certified Professional in Learning & Performance (CPLP), is a certification for talent development professionals. CPTDs have skills and knowledge in building personal capability, developing professional capability, and impacting organizational capability. Candidates must meet specific educational and experience eligibility requirements. Candidates must also take and pass a written exam.
More information can be found on the certifying agency's website.
Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD)
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Attainability:
Eligibility Requirements (View Details)
- Credential Prerequisite
- Experience: 5 years
- Education: Semester/Course Hours
- Training
- Membership
- Other
- Fee
Note: This credential may have multiple options for a Service member to meet eligibility requirements. Requirements listed here are based on the minimum degree required. To view other options, see the Eligibility tab.
Exam Requirements (View Details)
- Exam
- Written Exam
- Oral Exam
- Practical Exam
- Performance Assessment
Exam Administration (View Details)
- In-person exam
- Remote proctored on-line exam
- Third-party test vendor
RECERTIFICATION SUMMARY
Renewal Period: 3 years
AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
Association for Talent Development (ATD)
1640 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (800) 628-2783
Fax: (703) 683-1523
Email: customercare@td.org
Education/Training and/or Experience REQUIREMENTS
Standard Pathway:
- Candidate must have at least five years (60 months) of paid, professional work experience with adults in the talent development field or a related discipline.
- Candidate must have 60 hours of professional development over the past 60 months in talent development content. Talent development content is considered to be topics related to developing professional capability and impacting organizational capability within the ATD capability model.
Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) Pathway:
- Candidate must have four years (48 months) of paid, professional work experience with adults in the talent development field or related discipline. Related disciplines include human resources, higher education or similar.
- Candidate must hold a current APTD credential. The APTD must be current and in good standing at the time of application.
- Candidate must have five years (60 months) of paid, professional work experience with adults in the talent development field or related discipline. Related disciplines include human resources, higher education or similar.
- Candidate must have successfully completed any ATD Master Series Certificate within the past five years (60 months).
Other REQUIREMENTS
The Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) credential has the following other requirements:
- Candidate must affirm their endorsement of the ATD CI Code of Ethics agreement and acknowledge their commitment to uphold its principles, and agree to the policies and rules set forth in the CPTD Handbook.
- Candidate must submit a current resume.
- Candidate must sign a release and agreement document. For more information see the CPTD Handbook.
Written Exam
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Building Personal Capability (20%)
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Communication
- Skill in using communication strategies that inform and influence audiences.
- Skill in applying verbal, written, and/or non-verbal communication techniques.
- Skill in conceiving, developing, and delivering information in various formats and media.
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Emotional Intelligence & Decision Making
- Knowledge of theories of emotional intelligence.
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Collaboration & Leadership
- Knowledge of theories, methods, and techniques to build and manage professional relationships, for example group dynamics, teamwork, shared experience, and negotiation.
- Knowledge of conflict management techniques.
- Knowledge of theories of leadership, for example transformational, inclusive, and situational.
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Cultural Awareness & Inclusion
- Skill in integrating diversity and inclusion principles in talent development strategies and initiatives.
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Project Management
- Skill in evaluating and prioritizing implications, risks, feasibility, and consequences of potential activities.
- Skill in establishing, monitoring, and communicating progress toward the achievement of goals, objectives, and milestones.
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Compliance & Ethical Behavior
- Knowledge of laws, regulations, and ethical issues related to the access and use of information, for example intellectual capital, personally identifiable information, and customer data.
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Communication
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Developing Professional Capability (45%)
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Learning Sciences
- Knowledge of theories and models of adult learning, for example Knowles’ Adult Learning Theory, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gagne’s Nine Levels of Learning, Mager’s Criterion-Referenced Instruction Approach, social and collaborative learning, and experiential learning.
- Knowledge of the foundational learning theories of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism.
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Instructional Design
- Skill in selecting and aligning delivery options and media for training and/or learning events to the desired learning or behavioral outcomes.
- Skill in developing learning and behavioral outcome statements.
- Skill in designing blueprints, schematics, and/or other visual representations of learning and development solutions, for example wireframes, storyboards, and mock-ups.
- Skill in designing and/or developing learning assets, for example role plays, self-assessments, training manuals, job aids, and visual aids that align to a desired learning or behavioral outcome.
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Training Delivery & Facilitation
- Knowledge of facilitation methods and techniques.
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Technology Application
- Skill in identifying, selecting, and/or implementing learning technologies, for example using evaluative criteria and identifying appropriate applications in an instructional environment.
- Skill in selecting, integrating, managing, and/or maintaining learning platforms, for example learning management systems, knowledge management systems, and performance management systems.
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Knowledge Management
- Skill in curating instructional content, tools, and resources, for example researching, evaluating, selecting, and/or assembling publicly available online courseware.
- Skill in designing and implementing knowledge management strategy.
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Career & Leadership Development
- Skill in sourcing, designing, building, and evaluating leadership development experiences.
- Knowledge of how to develop and implement qualification programs.
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Coaching
- Skill in helping individuals or teams identify goals, develop realistic action plans, seek development opportunities, and monitor progress and accountability.
- Skill in coaching supervisors and managers on methods and approaches for supporting employee development.
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Evaluating Impact
- Knowledge of models and methods to evaluate the impact of learning and talent development solutions.
- Skill in creating data collection tools, for example questionnaires, surveys, and structured interviews.
- Skill in identifying and defining individual and/or organizational outcome metrics based on evaluation strategy and/or business objectives of a solution.
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Learning Sciences
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Impacting Organizational Capability (35%)
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Business Insight
- Skill in creating business cases for talent development initiatives using economic, financial, and organizational data.
- Skill in managing budgets and resources.
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Consulting & Business Partnering
- Skill in synthesizing information to formulate recommendations or a course of action to gain agreement, support, and/or buy-in from stakeholders.
- Skill in establishing and managing organizational and/or business partnerships and relationships.
- Skill in partnering with other organizational units to provide guidance on departmental or organizational talent requirements.
- Skill in identifying, minimizing, and overcoming organizational barriers to implementing talent development solutions and/or strategies.
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Organization Development & Culture
- Skill in designing and implementing organizational development strategy.
- Knowledge of theories and frameworks related to the design, interaction, and operation of social, organizational, and informational systems, for example, systems thinking, open systems theory, chaos and complexity theory, network theory, and action research.
- Skill in identifying formal and informal relationships, hierarchies, and power dynamics in an organization.
- Skill in creating a culture which encourages and/or creates opportunities for dialogue and feedback between individuals and groups, for example designing collaborative work practices and/or spaces, and role-modeling effective feedback techniques.
- Skill in assessing and evaluating employee engagement.
- Skill in designing and implementing employee engagement strategy.
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Talent Strategy & Management
- Skill in designing and implementing performance management strategy.
- Skill in developing a talent strategy that aligns to organizational strategy to influence organizational outcomes in a positive direction.
- Skill in designing and implementing strategic plans for talent development projects, programs, and/or functions.
- Skill in identifying anticipated constraints or problems affecting talent development initiatives, for example resource deficiencies or lack of support.
- Skill in establishing and executing a marketing strategy to promote talent development.
- Skill in designing and implementing communication strategy in order to drive talent management objectives.
- Skill in communicating how talent development strategies and solutions support the achievement of targeted business/organizational results.
- Skill in communicating the value of lifelong learning and professional development.
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Performance Improvement
- Skill in designing and implementing performance support systems and tools, for example instructional resources, data, process models, job aids, and expert advice.
- Skill in designing and developing performance improvement solutions to address performance gaps.
- Skill in conducting performance analysis to identify goals, gaps, or opportunities.
- Skill in conducting analysis of systems to improve human performance, for example determining how organizations learn, closing knowledge or skill gaps, and addressing human factors issues.
- Knowledge of theories, models, and principles of human performance improvement.
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Change Management
- Knowledge of change management theories and models, for example Lewin, Kotter, Bridges’ transition model, Kubler-Ross change curve, and appreciative inquiry.
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Data & Analysis
- Skill in selecting and/or using data visualization techniques, for example flow charts, graphs, plots, word clouds, and heat maps.
- Skill in identifying stakeholders' needs, goals, requirements, questions, and objectives to develop a framework and/or plan for data analysis.
- Skill in analyzing and interpreting results of data analyses to identify patterns, trends, and relationships among variables.
- Skill in gathering and organizing data from internal and/or external sources in logical and/or practical ways to support retrieval and manipulation.
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Future Readiness
- Knowledge of techniques to promote, support, and/or generate innovation and creativity, for example design thinking, brainstorming, and ideation.
- Knowledge of internal and external factors that influence talent development, for example organizational/business strategies, availability of labor, developments in other industries, societal trends, and technological advances.
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Business Insight
Exam Preparation Resources
There are a number of resources available to help you prepare for the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) examination:
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Best Sources
- ATD - Certification FAQs
- ATD - Education Programs
- ATD - Talent Development Capability Model
- ATD Certified Professional in Talent Development Certification Handbook
- ATD Certified Professional in Talent Development Study Planning Guide
- ATD CPTD Exam Preparation Resources
- ATD Learning System
- ATD Talent Development Capability Model and Self-Assessment
An additional resource is O'Reilly Learning Safari Books Online, a searchable digital library that provides online access to thousands of books, training videos and conference sessions. See the Educational Resources section on the Related Sites page here on COOL to learn how to get free access.
Testing Information
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Exam Administration
Credential exams may be administered in-person at a testing site, proctored on-line remotely, or have options for both. If an exam is administered through a test vendor, the third-party test vendor box will be checked. The following test administration options apply to the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) credential where checked:
- In-person exam
- Remote proctored on-line exam
- Third-party test vendor
For more information on the Association for Talent Development (ATD) testing process, visit the agency website.
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Third-Party Test Vendor Information
Testing for this credential is handled by the following vendor:
Pearson VUE
The test centers are located in the U.S. They also have some test centers on military bases.
To find out more, use the following links on the Pearson VUE website:
- Search for Testing Program
- Learn About Testing for Military Communities
- Agency/Certification Specific Testing Information
- Contact Pearson VUE
RECERTIFICATION
Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD)
Renewal Period: 3 years