Why?

[timd]

Beating a dead horse is better than abusing a live goat.

I'm fairly certain certification has been on the agenda and on paper for about 8 years. For a few years it was called "accreditation" and it may go back even further than that as a concept.

[AndrewT]

And, who has achieved certification thus far?

[timd]

No one has achieved certification yet because there are still a few courses and labs in development for journeymen and I think there are not any master level courses developed yet. I think there are quite a few people who are in the midst of journeyman status and likely a few who have taken just about everything that is currently developed.

It does take a huge effort to develop, write and review a single course. It is entirely understandable to me why we are quite a ways from having a completed program.

Also, SCAA staff is paying a dear price for the sins of the past as they try to sift through the mess of paperwork in an effort to bring their RG certification database up to date. It would be pretty hard for them to give a concrete status report for an individual at this juncture. I truly believe this is being remedied, however a lot of us are once bitten and twice shy, so it is reasonable why there is skepticism.

I think this topic is a great one for discussion at the RG retreat round tables.

[AndrewT]

thanks everyone for your replies. I am commited to certification for the same reasons that ryan stated above (excluding job change) and i hope those are the same reasons for everyone that pursues certification. i hope my post do not sound frutrated, i am just popping my head above water trying to discover whether the resource i put into accreditation in '06 and '07 would count. Also, upon reviewing the courses at the retreat, i discovered that i have already taken most of them, so i am trying to decipher what i do and don't need to take. I want to achieve certification and i think it should be an industry standard, but that means the leaders have to commit to it also even if it offers them no benefit, but i hope it would. On that note, i would like to participate in advancing the process and will be available at the retreat for further discussion on what that might look like.

thanks again,

[timd]

It would be a serious slap in the face to learn that the classes you traveled to, paid for and faithfully completed in '06-07 would not count towards your certification. I can't imagine they wouldn't, however we would need to have a voice of real authority confirm this fact.

I'd love to hear an RGEC voice confirming that Andrew's work from '06-'07 will count, even if SCAA has gaps in their record keeping.

[RicR]

I will take a chance on being a sufficiently authoritative voice on this topic. We have designed the structure for data tracking on all course work completed and are currently in the process of sorting through and entering the approximately 5000 records that pertain to this issue. The staff is focusing on Retreat based classes first and will then progress to Expo based classes and finally any classes offered at regional skill building events.

Andrew you can rest assured that we will capture and honor your work to date and that as a staff we are committed to the creation and implementation of a meaningful program of professional development and accompanying certification. I hope to see you in Skamania next month for the 10th Anniversary Edition of RGR.