AICP Candidate Pilot Program Overview

Benefits of APA membership Career services Get strategies, tactics, and tips for building a career Distinguish yourself Win awards and scholarships, and showcase your work Leadership Build your reputation by serving on the SRC or a Young Planners Group Networking Connect with mentors, future employers, and industry leaders Make a difference Shape policy, help communities in need, and inspire the next generation Information Access the latest industry research and trends Become certified Earn the AICP certification APA as a whole offers a lot of benefits to its members. Each of these may come in handy at different times in your career

Why Earn Your AICP Certification? The AICP credential demonstrates excellence 93% of AICP members say that the AICP Certification meets or exceeds their expectations for helping them remain professionally current1 A majority of planning employers agree that AICP-certified planners are up-to-date with changes and advances in the field.2 "Certification definitely raised my status among co-workers who are mostly engineers, architects, and project / construction / facility managers. AICP has made me a better planner and thereby a more valuable employee." — Amy Vandeveer, AICP; Community Planner, U.S. Air Force 1, 2 McKinley Advisors APA Survey I’m going to start by telling you about the benefits of AICP in general – and how it can help your career AICP Demonstrates Excellence AICP tells employers, clients, elected officials, colleagues, and other planners that you have a high degree of professional standing and expertise in the field of planning, maintained by continuing education. AICP puts planners on equal footing with other processionals we work with including architects, engineers, and other credentialed professionals. It shows other professions that we as planners also have the ability to achieve credentials when we gain a high level of expertise.

Why Earn Your AICP Certification? The AICP credential is an assurance of quality – which is rewarded by employers AICP members get paid on average $17,000 more than non-AICP members3 "I'm an employer. I look for the AICP credential in our screening process to find the best and most qualified employees for our planning positions." — Rodger Lentz, AICP; Director of Planning and Development Services, Wilson, North Carolina 3APA/AICP Planners Salary Survey, 2018 AICP can only be attained through a combination of working experience, high-level education, and by successfully passing a very lengthy, and some might say, challenging examination. For these reasons people familiar with AICP know that it establishes excellence in our field and are compensated accordingly.

Why Earn Your AICP Certification? The AICP credential helps you grow your career AICP Helps You Grow Your Career   Employers see the value that AICP-certified planners bring to their organization. Learn more about the value of AICP-certified planners by watching this video on the APA YouTube channel or at planning.org/AICP/why NOTE TO PRESENTER: If you have time, and are connected to the internet and a sound system, you may click the image to play the video

commitment and excellence Demonstrates commitment and excellence AICP members are committed to their profession and the community 59 AICP members have volunteered to serve on 27 Community Planning Assistance Team projects since 20094 AICP members demonstrate a commitment to professional ethics 87% of planning employers report that it is important that staff demonstrate allegiance to a code of ethics.5 97% of AICP members say that AICP Certification meets or exceeds expectations for demonstrating their commitment to ethical standards of practice.6 4https://www.planning.org/blog/blogpost/9113333/ 5,6 McKinley Advisors APA Survey AICP certified planners are leaders in their profession and the community They are committed to serving communities, and adhere to the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

Paths to AICP For someone who may not be familiar with AICP let alone our new program, this graphic is very helpful- Review the traditional steps to becoming AICP ------------------------------- Then show how the steps for the Candidate Program provides them with a path to start earlier — the criteria to become AICP are the same. With the AICP Candidate Pilot Program, eligible members are able to take the exam fresh out of school and prior to earning professional planning experience. After passing the exam, they can use the “AICP Candidate” designation on their resume, etc. After earning the required number of years of professional planning experience, they submit essays and upon approval, they pay dues and become AICP.

Benefits Start Early AICP Candidate Pilot Program Here are some benefits of participating in the Candidate Pilot Program to earn your AICP. Take the exam fresh out of school You’re still in the studying and test taking frame of mind Receive tips experience based and ethics questions

Benefits Optional mentoring AICP Candidate Pilot Program Mentoring starts when enrolled and is available throughout the program Be matched with an AICP mentor for career advice and to grow your network

Certification Maintenance AICP Candidate Pilot Program Benefits Certification Maintenance Take advantage of education outside of the classroom Learn side by side with professional planners AICP signals that you are current in professional practice and knowledge through the APA’s required certification maintenance course. CM encourages networking. I think one of my most important benefits of being an APA member is that there are tremendous opportunities to meet other planners – not only within your State but also from throughout the Country. Because AICP designation requires CM credits – and the best place to get CM credits in my opinion is by attending conferences – we can say that AICP encourages networking which is important to our profession and our own careers.

Graduate, take and pass the exam AICP Candidate Pilot Program Benefits Graduate, take and pass the exam Once you graduate and take and pass the AICP exam, you have earned the AICP Candidate designation. You can stand out by using the AICP Candidate on Linked In, etc. When looking for a job, make sure to let potential employers know that the AICP candidate designation means you passed the AICP exam, so you just need to earn the planning experience in order to become AICP. This may help land a position that requires AICP be earned by a deadline. When you enroll in the program, you are asked to commit to the same AICP Code of Ethics as full AICP members It’s a pledge to uphold high standards of practice, ethics, and professional conduct and is worth mentioning on a job interview Selling point to your potential employer- it shows that you are an ethical practitioner Familiarizing yourself with the code as a participant helps on ethics questions on the exam

Benefits Payment Plan AICP Candidate Pilot Program $20 $100 $375 This program is tailored for students and recent graduates including the fee schedule. Participation in the program ends up being the same as the exam fees, but the fees for the program are divided amongst the steps in the program: To enroll, it’s only $20 To take the exam it’s only $100 The balance is due at the end, presumably when you’re in a better position to pay the fees. $20 $100 $375

AICP! Benefits AICP Candidate Pilot Program Already in the practice of ongoing education, familiar with the Code of Ethics

Step 1: Enrolling in the Program AICP Candidate Pilot Program Step 1: Enrolling in the Program Open enrollment year-round Students and graduates of PAB-accredited programs Open enrollment year-round Graduates: Submit PAB graduation documentation Allow 4 weeks for review Here are more details about how the AICP Candidate Pilot Program works… (Next few slides review the program in a little more detail- use this if they show interest and if you have the time to go into it.) If you don’t have time, or it’s not the right environment, focus on the high level explanation. Then refer them to the webpage.

Enrollment Approved = Program Participant AICP Candidate Pilot Program Step 1: Participation Details Enrollment Approved = Program Participant Code of Ethics Certification Maintenance Optional Mentoring Here are features of the program that start once enrolled. Ethics Certified planners are required to uphold the highest standards of ethics and behavior among our profession. Being familiar with, and memorizing the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct is pretty much mandatory to pass the examination, but even more importantly, understanding the code helps us negotiate tough ethical and moral dilemmas. Said another way, understanding the Code can keep us out of trouble. I’ll provide more information about CM and Mentoring later

Step 2: Taking the AICP Exam AICP Candidate Pilot Program Step 2: Taking the AICP Exam Graduation is required to register for the Exam If you graduate in The first exam you can take is December May November The biggest thing potential participants want to know is how soon can they take the exam

(deadlines apply for exam registration) AICP Candidate Pilot Program Step 2: AICP Exam Step Timeframes Step Graduate in December take Exam in May Graduate in May take Exam in November Program enrollment Year-round (deadlines apply for exam registration) Exam Registration Window Opens Beginning of December Beginning of June Graduation documentation deadline (for participants who enrolled as students and have graduated) First Monday April First Monday of October Program enrollment deadline (for graduates) First Monday in April Exam Registration Deadline End of April End of October Testing Window During May During November This is a great resource on the timing of enrollment and how that relates to when they can take the exam.

Step 3: Planning Experience/AICP AICP Candidate Pilot Program Step 3: Planning Experience/AICP Submit 3 Essays Addressing Professional Planning Experience Criteria Make sure to review guidance provided Chapter PDO can be a resource Once essays are approved Pay AICP Dues Earn AICP After they earn their professional planning experience, candidates complete the process by submitting essays. Once their essays are approved and their dues paid, they become certified, join AICP, and may use the “AICP” credential.

www.planning.org/aicp/candidate/ For More Information: AICP Candidate Pilot Program For More Information: www.planning.org/aicp/candidate/