What are the benefits of certification?

The CEP designation provides benefits for both individuals and employers. When you or your employee is certified and a member of the Academy, he/she will be able to tap into the experience and expertise of hundreds of environmental and natural resource professionals - geologists, engineers, cultural specialists, hazardous materials managers, ecosystem restorers, and others. In addition, there will be opportunities for professional growth and recognition, which ultimately benefit you and you re your company.

In our experience, the value of certification extends to a broad range of individual backgrounds, employers, and fields of work. Click here if you would like to see a 12-page PowerPoint presentation on ABCEP and the benefits of certification.

The need for environmental professionals to demonstrate our credentials is growing throughout the country and abroad. Many of the current credential programs do not adequately cover the fields that many of us work in today. After 10 years of working in the environmental business, an engineer who has a PE in civil engineering, a planner who has a planning certificate, and a biologist who has a BS in science all may end up as managers of environmental disciplines that are outside their previous educational training or not covered by their previous certifications.

How is an individual or an employer able to establish the validity of this experience?
The CEP designation provides a nationally-recognized means of providing this verification and applies to individuals who are working in the environmental field in a wide range of disciplines. Furthermore, the CEP covers many job categories today that are not recognized by the traditional registrations.

The value of the CEP in this regard is increasing daily as the public and private sectors find a need for individuals who have more cross-disciplinary expertise. For example, under the quality based selection process that is used to hire professional firms, most state and federal agencies request companies who propose on projects to identify the certifications that their key staff hold.

The CEP is for those professionals who have at least 9 years of experience in the environmental field, and who want to demonstrate the value of this experience in a tangible way. In the private sector, numerous organizations provide recognition in the form of raises or bonuses to those who have a CEP.

While the CEP is not for everyone, it is well-suited for those who have chosen as their career path to be an environmental professional and who wish to promote the value of this experience to their peers and clients.

ABCEP is a member of the Council of Scientific & Engineering Specialty Boards (CESB), an umbrella organization for national and international certification organizations, and our CEP credential has been accredited by the CESB.

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Benefits to the Individual

• Serves as a basis for performance awards, promotions and progressively greater responsibilities
• Increases marketability and enhanced career opportunities
• Provides focus and direction for your continuing professional development via the ABCEP Maintenance Program
• Confirms and validates your professional skills through a rigorous application and peer review board examination process; a senior professional certification credential
• Enhances networking opportunities with other kindred CEP's through working groups and boards
• Conveys privileges such as a certificate, pin and use of the CEP after your name on letterhead, business cards or professional work products
• Affirms a strong commitment to environmental excellence and strict adherence to a standard of conduct and a code of ethics
• Allows you to perform professional services in certain states and localities
• Gives a personal sense of achievement

Benefits to the Employer

• Enhances confidence in the knowledge, skills and accomplishments of your employees and perspective employees
• Increases your ability to bill employees out at higher rates
• Strengthens your technical proposals to customers
• Demonstrates the depth of technical skills available to prospective customers and the public
• Reduces professional liability insurance costs

Benefits to the Customer

• Assures confidence in the professionals services addressing a broad array of environmental planning, analysis education and documentation
• Provides an assurance of engaging competent environmental professionals
• Serves as a source (web based) for qualified practicing environmental professionals

 
Note: Many firms, such as HDR and HNTB, give a bonus to employees that earn the CEP. Check your employee handbook or call ABCEP for additional information.

Employers often give preference to hiring CEPs; Recently an Environmental Director posting in Florida (St. Lucie County) gave preference to applicants with a CEP. In a highly competitive job market, the CEP certification can provide the edge to open a door for the job interview.

"We found that some businesses and agencies give preference to CEPs when selecting contractors to work on environmental projects. As a result, we have used the certification program as a way to enhance the qualifications of our staff and our ability to market our capabilities."
New England-based consultant

"The CEP appears to be the only certification program for folks like me who are neither ISO-14000 types nor engineers nor geologists, who can earn 'PEs' or 'PGs'.  So, the ABCEP certification is appropriate for someone of my educational and professional background."
ICF Employee 

"I recommend anyone who works with Navy Environmental Planning consider this [CEP] certification. The CEP certification has been a great benefit to my sense of pride, a reassurance of my worth and a recognition of my efforts. These benefits have a direct positive effect on the quality of my work."
Peter Havens, Environmental Planning Technical Lead for the Navy Engineering Field Activity Northwest Region  

 

 

If you have other examples about how it's beneficial to you, please share them with us.

Academy of Board Certified Environmental Professionals
P.O. Box 42564, Towson, MD 21284-2564
Toll Free Tel: 866-767-8073 *** Fax: 410-254-5542
office@abcep.org