The Case for a Tiered-CAE Program
Last week, the CAE Exam results for December 2022 were released. There were many happy individuals who not only celebrated but breathed a sigh of relief! The waiting is over and all the hard work paid off.
To those of you who took the December 2022 exam and did not pass, give yourself the credit you are due. You did something most people don’t even attempt: you prepared for and took the CAE Exam. Even if you didn’t pass, the work and the effort are an accomplishment. Not everyone climbs Mount Everest the first time, but they are forever changed by the experience.
For those who did not pass this time, they will decide if they want to take it again, and for those who did pass, they need to know “what’s next” for them (besides knowing they don’t need to take the exam again!). Initially, there will be the first round of the renewal process: 40 credits/CAE hours over a three-year period. Rather than just taking 40 hours of any type with no additional goals other than renewing, it would be great if there was another level they could attain that built on this initial, basic test of knowledge and thinking skills.
That’s right: no matter how hard you thought the exam was, it is a test of basic knowledge. It’s interesting to discuss with my colleagues who earned the CAE years ago about their views of the current system because they think it is wrong to make it so basic. Some of them tell me they think it still should be Chief Staff Executives (CSEs) only and not just anyone who wants to take it.
My response is: if we want to have competent, capable, C-Suite and senior staff leaders, our profession needs to start training them early in their career and build their knowledge and experience over time. When I state this, I usually get agreement. We all recognize the need to build our profession with strong, well-trained leaders who represent our profession to the best of their ability. But the basics are not the end of the journey; it is the beginning.
There are many programs in the world that are tiered, and these build training, education, learning and leadership skills over time. Each tier must be completed before you can move up to the next one. The Association of Finance and Insurance Professionals (AFIP) has a four level program: Basic, Senior, Master and Lifetime Master. Each level is increasingly difficult and builds on the previous level. As the certificant progresses, they are tested and trained on new content and the application of current knowledge. The fourth and final tier – Lifetime Master – requires continuing education every 2 years. Read about this program here.
In my pondering of a tiered-CAE program, I imagine a similar system with increasingly difficult levels supported by continuing education and training. The current CAE system could be our Level 1, with 2 or 3 additional levels that increase knowledge in the areas outlined in the current Domains of Practice. This tiered program would be more rigorous and include requirements for re-certification rather than just any 40 hours of CE. (Yes, I did just say that.)
For our profession to be truly taken seriously, we need to re-evaluate our CAE program, increase awareness about it, and strengthen its integrity. Our certification should be comparable to other demanding professional programs, meaning testing and training should be rigorous and meet pre-determined standards. Achieving the CAE should be honored and respected, but we have opportunities to grow our profession’s future by shaking loose of “that’s the way we’ve always done it” and creating a program that really means something not just to us, but to the world.
