What is Certification?
To succeed in today's competitive job market, whether looking for new opportunities or advancing in your current position, you need to build and demonstrate your expertise and skills. Certifications provide the recognition you need to excel in your career and provide employers with validation of your skills.
Professional Certifications
Professional or Industry Certifications can be earned from a professional society and establish a system to grant recognition to professionals to ensure a stated level of competence, adherence to professional standards, and increase the level of practice. Some professional certifications require demonstration of competence through a certification exam and some also require work experience in the field. Certified individuals are usually issued a certificate attesting that they have met the standards of the credentialing organization and are entitled to make the public aware of their credentialed status.
Professional certifications can also be earned on a specific product. This approach is very prevalent in the information technology (IT) industry, where personnel are certified on a version of software or hardware. Professional Certifications generally must be renewed and/or may be valid for a specific period of time (e.g., the life-time of the product upon which the individual is certified). As a part of a complete renewal of an individual's certification, it is common for the individual to show evidence of continued learning through continuing education (i.e. earning continuing education units (CEU) or re-certification points).
Professional Certification Programs Available at LFCC:
- Certified Bookkeeper
- Professional and Senior Professional in Human Resources
- Certified Payroll Professional
- Certified Professional Secretary
- Certified Administrative Professional
- Microsoft Certified Application Specialist
- Microsoft Office Specialist
- Variety of Information Technology Certifications (A+, MCSE, MCITP, etc)
- Dental Radiation
- Certified Dental Assistant
- Certified Professional Coder
- Pharmacy Technician
- Green Advantage
- OSHA
Certificate Programs
Certificate programs, offered through the college, award certificates once a course of study has been completed. Lord Fairfax is an accredited institution thru SACS, and is authorized to award Continuing Education Units (CEU's) for course/certificate completion.
Certificate Programs Available at LFCC:
- Leadership
- Employment Law
- LEAN Systems
- HR for the Non-HR Manager
- Administrative Assistant
It is important to note that certifications are usually earned from a professional society or educational institute, not the government. If a demonstration of ability or knowledge is required by law before being allowed to perform a task or job, this is referred to as licensure. In the United States, professional licenses are usually issued by state agencies. The assessment process is often similar, even the same; however, certification and licensure differ in terms of legal status.
