A Brief History

ICCI has evolved since its founding in 1994 to reflect the focus and needs of practitioners and clients today. Founded as The International Board for Career Management Certification, it ensured that the then unregulated outplacement industry would provide organizational and individual clients with services of high ethical and professional quality.  As the career management profession has adapted to meet clients’ needs, the ICCI has expanded its certification criteria by updating its required competencies and ethical standards. This has ensured that certified practitioners represent excellence and ethics in all aspects of their career development and management services.

Distinguished and Unique

ICC International Certification is distinguished and unique, in that the review process focuses on the practitioner’s education, experience, competence and adherence to ethical standards.

This process measures international service standards and competencies for career management professionals for those located anywhere in the world. Many applicants are members of ACF International or ACP International, but membership in any career services organizations is not required for Certification. Applicants may be independent service providers or employees within government, the private sector, educational institutions or agencies. ICCI examines the competencies, experience and education of applicants who work in the career field.

Independent

Since its inception, ICCI has operated as a not-for-profit institute - completely separate from training and membership organizations.  It is a stand-alone body, managed by its independent Board of Governors, who are working toward the goal of maintaining and improving standards of practice that organisations and individuals can trust. 

Standards

The original standards which were based on 20th Century criteria were revised and expanded beyond outplacement - to reflect the growing diversity of career management and career coaching practices (see current Career Management Competencies). In 2010 the Board of Governors instituted a four-year certification update policy for all ICCI Certificants, which assures the buying public that their providers are up-to-date, continue to learn and contribute/adhere to the highest industry standards.