How to Reboot Your Recertification Process, Increase Revenue, and Boost Learner Engagement

Thomas Reilly, VP of Learning at CompTIA, joined BenchPrep CEO Ashish Rangnekar to present at digitalNow in Austin, TX.

Lifelong learning has become an economic imperative for professionals. Millennials are expected to hold more than a dozen jobs throughout their careers and because of this, they cite training and development as their #1 job benefit (ahead of items like flexible work hours and cash benefits).

The professional landscape is ever-changing now, so associations and other organizations that administer learning need to recognize that today’s learners have changed too by requiring and desiring new methods of engagement.  This isn’t just millennials either, but all professionals for that matter.

Our ideal methods for learning are just not what they used to be, due in no small part to shrinking attention spans and the constant barrage of information thrown at us every day (thank you smartphones).  Did you realize that the average worker gets interrupted as frequently as every 5 minutes?  To build learning programs that can cater to today’s professionals, organizations need to rethink how they facilitate learning. 

CompTIA recognized that many recertification programs are faced with 3 common challenges:

• Transactional, one and done approach – Too often, recertification is viewed as a one-off task by both the professional and the association.
• Frictional, onerous renewal – In order to recertify, it is a time consuming and arduous process for the professional.
• Cumbersome for admins – Associations are burdened with managing recertification through antiquated processes that are difficult to maintain.

By recognizing these challenges, aligning with today’s learners, and adjusting its approach with BenchPrep’s platform, CompTIA now administers a recertification program that offers lifelong learning through refined, modernized methods.  By rethinking their previous methods, CompTIA is now able to offer a revamped renewal process that consists of 3 easy steps and has seen resounding success as a result.

Reilly and Rangnekar explained to their audience how CompTIA overhauled its program to increase revenue, reduce administrative burden, and drive higher user engagement, leading to the win-win end result of seeing positive impact for both CompTIA and its learners. 

Key takeaways included:

• Discovering the necessity of designing recertification programs to have a more continuous connection between education and job skills.
• Learning how to build a training program for today’s learners that improves long-term engagement and knowledge retention.
• Positioning recertification as a value driver for users and revenue driver for the organization.
• Leveraging technology tools and new business practices to reduce administrative costs.

To learn more, download their presentation slides here.  The slides will show you:

What CompTIA actually did:

• CompTIA’s new framework for recertification
• Their revamped certification program
• How they condensed all processes to have just a single activity renewal

What you can take away from CompTIA’s experience:

• CompTIA’s results from adopting this new model
• What they learned from going through the process
• What steps you can take RIGHT NOW to improve your recertification program