West Virginia State University will begin offering a Continuing Education class in January designed to help administrative professionals advance in their careers.
The class is a review class for those seeking to sit for the Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) exam in May, 2014 and also for those wanting to earn the advanced rating in Organizational Management (OM).
The review class will be offered Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Jan. 21, 2014, and continuing through May 1. It will take place from 6-8 p.m. in room 112 of Cole Complex on WVSU’s Institute campus.
“Many people think that you have to be a member of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) to take the exam but you don’t. The exam is open to anyone in the administrative support field,” said IAAP Charleston Chapter President Natalie Proctor. “According to the IAAP Institute for Certification, many successful applicants who pass the exam receive, on average, a 7 percent raise.”
Instructors will help students review business concepts, vocabulary, current labor standards, financial principals and communication styles among other things.
If students want to sit for the May exam, they will need to submit an official registration form to IAAP by Feb, 15, 2014.
There is an educational and work experience requirement to take the exam. If the applicant has no college degree, there is a minimum of four years of experience required. If an applicant has an associate’s degree, three years of experience is required, or if they have a bachelor’s degree, two years of experience is required.
A verification of work history in the administrative assistant field must accompany the application and the applicant must have done work at a minimum of 20 hours a week in administrative duties. Applicants will also need to submit verification of their degree.
The class will have a mix of lecture time, class discussions and hands on activities. Students will be responsible for purchasing class materials from Horizon Presentations.
The class will be $100 and the associated materials are approximately $225.
If the student wants to sit for the exam in May, the cost of the exam for non-members is $450 and if they want to sit for the OM part as well, that fee is an additional $325.
“This is an investment in your career because this is an internationally recognized business rating that employers can see ready results in hiring or retaining a quality workforce,” Proctor said. “This exam was started in 1951 by IAAP and it has helped thousands of assistants be able to qualify their knowledge of the business world.”
Earlier this year, WVSU was approved as a testing center for those seeking certification by the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP). Previously, those seeking IAAP certification had to travel outside West Virginia to take the exam.
For more information out about the CAP/CAP-OM exam visit www.iaap-hq.org/certification.
For more information about the course contact Natalie Proctor at natalieproctor@live.com or (304) 965-7488 or Nathan Gainer at ngainer@wvstateu.edu or (304) 766-3145.
