Apply for Certification or a Milestone Badge

Apply for an Architect Badge

The Open CA Experience Profile application forms have been updated to align with Version 4.0 of the Open CA Conformance Requirements, which include the addition of the Digital Architecture Discipline, and Version 1.2 of the Open CA Configuration Document.

• Open CA Level 1 or Level 2 Professional Communication
• Open CA Level 1 or Level 2 Professional Development
• Open CA Level 1 or Level 2 Experience Profile
• Open CA Level 1 or Level 2 Certification Application - for certification
   
• Open CA Level 3 Professional Development
• Open CA Level 3 Experience Profile
• Open CA Level 3 Certification Application - for certification
   
• Open CA Declaration of Continued Practice - for re-certification, along with the applicable level Professional Development application

Apply for a Data Scientist Badge

• Open CDS Level 1 or Level 2 Professional Communication
• Open CDS Level 1 or Level 2 Professional Development
• Open CDS Level 1 or Level 2 Experience Profile
   
• Open CDS Level 3 Professional Development
• Open CDS Level 3 Experience Profile
• Open CDS Level 3 Certification Application - for certification
   
• Open CDS Declaration of Continued Practice- for re-certification, along with the applicable level Professional Development application

Apply for a Technical Specialist Badge

• Open CTS Level 1 or Level 2 Professional Communication
• Open CTS Level 1 or Level 2 Professional Development
• Open CTS Level 1 or Level 2 Experience Profile
   
• Open CTS Level 3 Professional Development
• Open CTS Level 3 Experience Profile
   
• Open CTS Declaration of Continued Practice- for re-certification, along with the applicable level Professional Development application

Apply for a Trusted Technology Provider Badge

• Open CTTP Level 3 Professional Development
• Open CTTP Level 3 Experience Profile

Certification Requirements

The specific Milestone Badges required for each level of certification are defined below. Further information on these requirements may be found in the profession-specific Configuration Document.

	Professional Communication	Professional Development	Experience Profile
Level 1	Yes	Yes	2 Experience Profile Milestone Badges required
Level 2	Yes	Yes	3 Experience Profile Milestone Badges required
Level 3 (Prerequisite: Level 2 certification)	Not required	Yes	3 Experience Profile Milestone Badges required
Re-Certification	Not required	Yes	1 Experience Profile Milestone Badge required*

* Alternatively may complete a Declaration of Continued Practice as described in the Re-Certification Requirements section below.

Re-Certification Requirements

Individuals who are due for re-certification directly with The Open Group are required to do the following two actions in order to re-certify:

1. Earn a Professional Development Milestone Badge, and
2. Either complete the Declaration of Continued Practice or earn an Experience Profile Milestone Badge

Once you successfully meet these two requirements, the Certification Authority will extend your certification for another 3 years. The cost for re-certification is the cost to submit each of the two applications defined above, there is no additional re-certification fee.

The Professional Development and Experience Profile Milestone Badges must be at or above the level of the current certification.

The Declaration of Continued Practice requires applicants to describe the contributions they have made in their profession during the past 3 years, in order to demonstrate that they have continued to practice in the Profession at (or above) their current level of certification. The Declaration of Continued Practice will be sufficient for people who wish to re-certify at the same level and in the same Discipline/Specialty.

Deciding between the Declaration of Continued Practice and an Experience Profile: If you wish to earn a certification at a higher level or change the Discipline/Specialty of your certification, consider earning an Experience Profile Milestone Badge at the desired level of certification and/or in the desired Discipline/Speciality as you will then be able to use the badge both to support your current re-certification and as one of the badges you will need for your new / updated certification.

Likewise, if you are seeking certification at a higher level in your profession, consider earning a Professional Development Milestone Badge at the higher level. This badge may then be used both in support of re-certification of your current certification and in support of certification at a higher level.

Your Declaration of Continued Practice or Experience Profile application will be reviewed by a single Peer Review Board Member, as per the re-certification requirements defined in the profession's Configuration Document.

Further information on re-certification may be found in our Frequently Asked Questions.

A Stepwise Path to Certification

Open Professions certification is awarded through experience-based profile assessment by recognized industry experts within their appropriate field. Certification is broken down into three stages – to allow you to manage your certification at a pace that is most suitable to you and to allow you to show evidence for your expertise more quickly:

• Step One - Obtain 4-5 Milestone Badges (four for Levels 1 & 3, five for Level 2). Candidates submit separate Milestone Application Forms, which are then evaluated independently. After earning all the required Milestone Badges, proceed to Step Two
• Step Two - Complete the Experience Application Form to apply for certification
• Step Three - Attend a board review

 

Contact the Open Professions Certification Authority for help on the milestone-based certification process or information on earning badges not listed above.