Launch New Rigorous, Standardized Validation of a Manager’s Proficiency in the EMEA region

As companies adapt to doing business in the shadow of COVID-19, the need for highly capable and effective managers is more critical than ever. Yet, as both C-suite leaders and managers acknowledge, there has been a glaring lack of a clear definition of the manager’s role and a universally respected credential for validating a manager’s proficiency.

In response to the significant demand and urgent need for a validated standard of excellence in management, the American Management Association (AMA) offers the AMA Certified Professional in Management^™(AMA-CPM^™). Developed in partnership with ACT, a trusted leader in measurement, this comprehensive management certification program will help individuals affirm and showcase their knowledge and skills in management, while enabling organizations to identify and hire qualified managers who have met a set of established criteria.

Nearly 7.3 million persons hold managerial positions in enterprises with 10 employees or more located in the European Union and millions more managers are located in the Middle East. As a recent AMA survey affirmed, a majority of managers are continuing to invest in professional training during our current time of transition and uncertainty. With the unemployment rate expected to remain high in the months ahead, both working and future managers are seeking to improve their skills and stand out. For job security and advancement, the AMA-CPM^™ is a valuable differentiator.

The AMA-CPM^™ signifies a manager who possesses not only extensive management knowledge but also the exceptional ability to apply it—with confidence. Culminating with a rigorous, 175-question assessment of the practical skills all managers need, the program focuses on four major content areas:

• Professional Effectiveness: Mastery of personal awareness and interpersonal skills.
• Business Acumen: Understanding of business operations.
• Analytical Intelligence: Application of systematic thinking, analysis and data interpretation.
• Relationship Management: Ability to establish and maintain professional relationships.

“The primary purpose of the AMA-CPM^™ is to help individuals realize their potential and simultaneously help organizations achieve their goals through excellent management practice,” states AMA president and CEO Manny Avramidis. “I believe this credential is going to change the world of management in a significant way. In the future, it may become the right of passage for individuals with an organization or within a career track.”

As a trusted collaborator to AMA in the development of this certification program, ACT provided strategic guidance about policies related to education, examination, and recertification requirements. The ACT team worked with subject matter experts to guide the development and content validation of the test questions and test forms that will be used in the certification assessment. “ACT is proud to collaborate with AMA, the premier experts in management, in the design, development, and ongoing implementation of the AMA-CPM^™ program,” said ACT CEO Janet Godwin. “ACT is a learning, measurement, and navigation organization, and this certification collaboration with the AMA reaches into each of these domains.”

AMA-CPM^™ candidates will have 3½ hours to complete the assessment. The first testing window, which reached maximum capacity due to eager early applicants, closes June 30, 2020. Applications for the next testing window that opens November 2 will be accepted beginning July 1. Testing centres are located across the globe.

Candidates are encouraged to apply online and then begin preparing at home. Management Centre Europe (MCE) offers various resources to help, including a comprehensive self-study guide, The Management Body of Knowledge, online practice tests, a 4-day virtual prep course and a 4-session online prep express course.  To learn more, visit www.mce.eu/cpm