With the outsourcing industry continuing to experience 10 percent growth, the need for outsourcing professionals to stay up to date on the latest trends and standards is more pertinent than ever, fueling an increase in professional certification training programs.

In response to the increased need and demand from individuals and companies employing outsourcing professionals globally, the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals(R) (IAOP(R)) has continued to expand its educational offerings in its Certified Outsourcing Professional(R) (COP) program.

New offerings include the Service Provider Business Development Workshop, a one-day live or online program that earns 15 points towards the COP certification and qualifies candidates for the new Certified Outsourcing Professional – Business Development (COP-BD) certification.

“Outsourcing is a highly strategic, complex and ever-changing process that requires constant governance, due diligence and monitoring on the part of clients and service providers,” said Jim Shea, CEO of CDI Online Management Services, who holds the designations of COP-BD and COP-GOV. “Keeping up with changes in the field and implementing best practices is critical to outsourcing success.”

The number of professionals gaining the COP designation that validates expertise in the end-to-end process of outsourcing continues to rise. More than 325 professionals from 22 countries have received COP designations, while over 650 applications for award of the certification are now under consideration by the Outsourcing Standards Board, IAOP reports.

“Being a COP is a differentiator,” says JoAnn Martin of Pitney Bowes, COP, PBI and PMP. “Gaining this certification has allowed me the expanded scope of knowledge learned, experienced and gathered from my peers to help guide my company in outsourcing maturity. The COP certification goes beyond the validity a certification brings. COPs help align customers, vendors and consultants in outsourcing in order to achieve company success in the global economy.”

Master Class Participation Increases

IAOP also has seen a 25 percent increase from 2010 to 2011 in its COP Master Class training, a comprehensive learning experience for improved outsourcing outcomes.

Over 1,000 professionals have undergone the COP Master Class training globally and report high satisfaction with the program with 92 percent of attendees saying they gained skills specific to their position and also gathered new ideas to bring back to their companies and more than 75 percent responding that it met or exceeded their expectations of improving their outsourcing ability.

To offer greater flexibility, IAOP has changed the Master Class format from a four to three-day class held at prestigious executive conference centers and also increased options for companies to hold on-site private classes. In North America, the Master Class and one-day Governance workshop can be combined to give executives more training in one business trip, reducing travel expenses. All IAOP training also is available online for universal accessibility.

“IAOP provides state-of-the-art instructor led and online training on outsourcing best practices for both clients and service providers,” Shea says. “The COP training delivers the knowledge and skills outsourcing practitioners need to keep up with the ever-changing field of outsourcing.”