Professional Certification Programs in Public-Private Partnerships, Utility Regulation, Utility Management

Introduction

The Institute for Public-Private Partnerships (IP3) and the Water, Engineering, and Development Centre of Loughborough University (WEDC/LU) are pleased to offer three professional certification programs for qualified individuals:

Certified Public-Private Partnership Specialist™
Certified Regulation Specialist™
Certified Utility Management Specialist™

The objective of these professional certification programs is to create a world class standard in public-private partnerships, regulation, and utility management, which provides participants who complete the requirements of each certification with comprehensive technical, and management tools to effect change at the enterprise, sector, or policy-making level.

IP3 and WEDC/LU are responsible for the overall management and administration of each professional certification program, including participant enrollment and counseling, development and maintenance of quality standards, and individual course approval.

Mission

To initiate, evaluate, maintain, and administer accredited and professional certification programs in the fields of public-private partnerships, regulation, and utility management and to nurture the growth of qualified experts in those fields.

Purpose of Certification

Each certification program is designed to:

Establish, implement and maintain global certification standards, policies, and procedures.
Promote, develop, and formally recognize professional credentials in the fields of public-private partnerships, regulation, and utility management.
Provide employers, peers, and the industry at large with a tool to identify and promote skilled and knowledgeable professionals in the respective fields.
Initiate and foster cooperation and collaboration with other institutions in these fields to promote and sustain a high standard of excellence.

Benefits of Professional Certification

Affiliate With and Graduate From Globally Recognized and Accredited Institutions. Loughborough University, located in the heart of the United Kingdom, boasts over 12,000 students attending bachelors, masters, and doctorate degree programs in engineering, science, social sciences and humanities. The Water, Engineering and Development Centre is on the forefront of research, advisory, and training services in municipal, environmental, and water related areas of public-private partnerships. The Institute for Public-Private Partnerships, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a leader in training and advisory services in public-private partnerships, having trained over 10,000 officials from over 175 countries and conducted scores of technical assistance assignments in the fields of public-private partnerships, regulation, and utilities management.

Enhance Job-Related Skills for Professional Career Advancement. Each professional certification is geared towards both short-term and immediate job skills enhancement and long-term career development. By obtaining a "Professional Certification", you will have the requisite expert skills set to provide top quality services to your institution and be recognized internationally as a specialist in your field.

Practical and Convenient Course Scheduling for Busy Professionals. Our courses are offered in locations worldwide and are conducted in convenient one-to-three week time periods. Soon-to-be-offered e-learning ("online") courses will allow participants to take courses "any place and any time". This allows for maximum concentration on the course subject matter without significant time away from the office.

Work With and Be Qualified to Join Our Distinguished Faculty. IP3 and WEDC/LU faculty are selected and retained based on two premises: their practical work experience in the appropriate subject matter and their ability to teach and communicate in an adult learning environment. All of our faculty have hands-on, practical experience and all have extensive teaching capabilities. Once certified, all graduate become eligible to join the global faculty as a resource in future IP3/WEDC/LU programs.

Global and Comprehensive Depth of Each Certification Field. The partnership between IP3 and LU/WEDC spans five continents, over 200 countries, thousands of alumni, and scores of project activities. There is no greater leadership in these fields.

Who Should Take a Professional Certification Program?

For the Certified Public-Private Partnership Specialist ™ program:

National, State, or Local Government Officials responsible for planning, managing, and monitoring public-private partnership programs in the water, energy, transportation, telecommunications, sanitation, information technology, or any other public service area.

Bankers and Financiers involved in sponsoring and financing public-private transactions in all sectors.

Executives and Managers involved in developing and operating public-private partnership projects for corporations or on behalf of government.

Donor Agency Officials responsible for planning and financing public-private partnerships programs.

Consultants, Professors, and other Professionals responsible for providing advice and technical assistance to public and private sector clients on the planning and management of public-private partnerships.

For the Certified Regulation Specialist™program:

Commissioners and Staff of Regulatory Institutions responsible for regulating both public and private sector utilities in the water, energy, transportation, telecommunication, and other utility services.

National, State, or Local Government Officials responsible for planning, and managing regulatory reform in all relevant sectors

Executives and Managers from regulated industries active in interfacing and complying with regulatory institutions and managing shareholder value.

Consultants and Professors involved with providing advice and technical assistance to government agencies on the planning and management regulatory reform.

For the Certified Utility Management Specialist™ program

Managers and Directors of Utilities responsible for overall management, leadership, and corporate governance of both public and private sector utilities in the water, electricity, telecommunications, transportation sectors, and municipal services sectors.

National, State, or Local Government Officials responsible for planning, managing, and monitoring utility improvement, commercialization, and reform programs in all relevant sectors.

Donor Agency Officials responsible for planning and financing utility operations, expanding service coverage, and transitioning utilities to commercial operations programs.

Engineers, Economists, and Financial Analysts seeking to advance in utility leadership positions within their existing or new organizations.

Consultants and Professors involved with providing advice and technical assistance to utilities.

General Certification Requirements

To enroll into one of the professional certification programs, participants must be mid-career professionals holding a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) with a minimum of two-years professional experience. To receive the each professional certification participants must complete the following requisites:

Completion of 24.0 continuing education units (CEUs)¹ of training from the list of approved courses of which at minimum 15.0 CEUs must be obtained from IP3 or WEDC/LU’s course offerings and up to 9.0 CEUs may be earned from a third party training institution from the Catalog of Approved Courses (the list of approved courses will be updated regularly, as additional qualified courses are added).
Successful completion of a "pass/fail" essay examination at the conclusion of their course work.
Completion of a comprehensive Strategic Action Plan detailing how the participants’ knowledge gained in the field of the particular professional certification will be applied on-the-job and/or to their career development.

To register for one of the professional certification programs, please go to Participant Certification Registration Form.

¹IP3 and LU/WEDC use the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) definition of a Continuing Education Unit (CEU). 10.0 hours of "contact" training is the equivalent of 1.0 earned CEU (for example, a one-week training course with six hours of "contact" per day would earn 3.0 CEUs). "Contact" is defined as classroom sessions, professional site visits, session preparations, and action planning development. For further information on CEU standards, please visit www.iacet.org. IP3 is an authorized provider of IACET CEUs.

Individual Course Certificates and Overall Professional Certification

Each participant who attends a course from the approved course list for each professional certification will receive a certificate of achievement from the organization that is sponsoring the particular training course.

Once the requirements for the overall professional certification program is completed, a joint certificate from the Institute for Public-Private Partnerships and the Water, Engineering and Development Centre of Loughborough University will be issued proclaiming satisfactory completion of the requirements of the respective professional certification program.

Approved Courses for Each Professional Certification Program

The Catalog of Approved Courses contains the currently approved courses for each professional certification program, including course titles, sponsoring organization, curriculum, and contact information.

Third party training and education institutions who would like their training courses considered for the approved course listing must complete the Training Provider Application Form.

For institutions that would like a customized training course to be conducted by IP3 and/or WEDC/LU to be considered as an approved course for one of the professional certification program should contact registrar@globalcertifications.org for more details.