NIGP’s educational programs are growing
NIGP’s educational programs continue to grow. Between 2016 and 2018, classroom education participation grew by 9%, online learning grew by 31%, and overall student counts grew by 7%. NIGP’s Webinar program participation has grown 46% year-over-year and the Institute’s newest virtual conference offering – VCon – attracted over 1,500 attendees for the first three events.
Only 19% of NIGP members are professionally certified by the UPPCC
Conversely, professional certification among NIGP members is down. In 2016, 24% of the NIGP membership reported that they had a CPPO and/or CPPB designation. By 2020, that number fell to 19% - even though the percentage of members with an associates or bachelors + degree increased slightly. This means that, despite NIGP’s dedicated sponsorship of the UPPCC program since the late 1970s, 79% of NIGP’s membership is either ineligible to earn the CPPO or CPPB designation (or) hasn’t found value in achieving it. The fact that 9 out of 10 UPPCC certificants is a NIGP member is equally concerning.
UPPCC Professional Certification is declining
Further, the number of new applicants seeking professional certification has declined since the peak in 2014 when the UPPCC changed its eligibility requirements and required degrees. Overall new applications have declined 42% since the 2014 peak; a 44% decline in new CPPB applicants and a 36% decline in new CPPO applicants. Over the last three-year period, the UPPCC has averaged 265 new CPPB applications and 115 new CPPO applications each year.
Professionals are seeking additional credentials
And a recent survey of public procurement practitioners revealed that even those who are currently certified are interested in another credential (51%). This percentage intensifies to 74% of those professionals under 40 years of age.