New Change Management Qualification from APM Group

Editor's Note: This is a corrected headline based on feedback from APM. The original headline referenced ITIL and ITSM. This qualification is based on neither. According to APM, this is a generic Change Management qualification and the course does not give candidates ITIL credits.

The APM Group, a global accreditation and certification services provider, announced on Monday the launch of its new Change Management Practitioner qualification. The qualification was developed following requests from candidates who took the Foundation level Principles of Change Management course and examination.

Candidates who undertake the new practitioner level qualification course are expected to gain a deeper knowledge of the principles of change management and an understanding of how to implement and manage change in their organizations. The objective of the course is to enable candidates to generate better acceptance of change through the implementation of change theories, enabling a higher rate of satisfactory change while keeping staff engaged.

Foundation

The Change Management qualification comprises two levels: Foundation and Practitioner. The Foundation course consists of four modules focusing on the theories of how change impacts on and is affected by the individual, the team, the organization and the change leader. Candidates can become certified in the Change Management Foundation qualification through completing these four modules and a multiple-choice exam at the end of the final day. The Foundation exam is an hour-long closed book multiple choice paper. It has four sections with a total of 60 questions and candidates must score 50% to pass.

The new Practitioner course builds on the knowledge of the four change areas from the Foundation course and supplements this with information taken from the People Alchemy website, www.peoplealchemy.co.uk, which enables candidates to further understand the concepts and application of change management.

Practitioner

The Practitioner exam is a 3-hour multiple choice paper. It is open book and comprises four questions based on a given scenario. There are 20 marks per question. Candidates must score 50% to pass. Both the Foundation and Practitioner level qualifications are based on the book Making Sense of Change Management by Esther Cameron and Mike Green. The Change Management Practitioner exam also has a candidate handbook which can be taken into the exam.

Candidates who have passed the Change Management Practitioner examination can put Change Management Practitioner on their business cards. They can also include the link to APMG's online list of Change Management Practitioners: www.apmgroup.co.uk/CMSCRSquery.asp.