Environmental Health Proficiency Examinations which are based on the Role Delineation Study were developed for use by registration agencies. To validate the examinations, performance measures of on-the-job practice were administered along with the examinations. Results show that examinations are valid but not perfect predictors of on-the-job…

The demand for credentials and college degrees in the United States has spawned the establishment of many degree-granting institutions that are nothing more than diploma mills. Despite some indicators of institutional quality, such as accreditation and state licensing, the identification of substandard colleges is not always an easy task. (WD)

Examines the issue of professional certification for educational technologists. The definitions of certification, accreditation, and licensure are presented, as well as the benefits and pitfalls of certification programs and the role of professional organizations, including AECT. Five related readings are suggested. (BK)

This article discusses the controversy surrounding the registration of engineers. Viewpoints of both industry and the Society for Professional Engineers are presented. (CS)

This article presents results and recommendations of the ACES Licensure Commission study on the licensing of counselors. (Author)

Interviews and case studies involved 80 British universities, National Training Organizations, small business services, learning and skills councils, employers, and student completers of higher-level National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). The most successful NVQs are linked to professional qualification paths and have generic application. Some…

"Typical" paper credentials were used to create 12 hypothetical teacher candidates. Credential contents were varied to reflect all combinations of college preparatory institutions (Holmes vs. traditional), education degree types, and chronological ages. Randomly selected high school principals then evaluated candidates. Holmes-prepared…

Training for nurses working with children predates training for care of adults. Key issues in children's nursing have not changed in the last century. They include its undervalued status within the profession and the place of specialized education. (Contains 28 references and commentary by Tony Long.) (SK)

Forty former rehabilitation counseling clients returned a mail questionnaire that requested them to write descriptions of "ideal" and minimally qualified rehabilitation counselors. Relational values and qualities represented the most frequent categories for the ideal counselor descriptors; demographic characteristics were mentioned least. Broader…

California's new standards for training future school counselors link to the current national movement for school reform, ensuring the next generation of school counselors can advocate for both students and for the changes needed in the school counseling profession. (Author)

Recent studies have explored whether employers use educational qualifications as screening device, rather than as measure of acquired human capital. One method for testing a strong version of the screening hypothesis was suggested by Psacharopoulos and applied to British data, with negative conclusions. This paper applies the same "P"…

Proposes changes in the title and structure of nonpsychology doctoral training in counselor education. Suggests a comprehensive linkage system of training, accreditation, credentialing, and employment. Expresses concern that the nonpsychology doctorate degree in counseling is steadily losing ground in the job market to the doctorate in counseling…

Examined differences among certified rehabilitation counselors (n=1,535) in level of importance attributed to various knowledge domains. Found that grouping respondents according to employment setting and job title accounted for most frequent differences in knowledge importance among all variables examined. Respondents' educational background and…

Asserts that, since most states now have counselor licensure, the National Board for Certified Counselors and the National certification process itself may be obsolete. Authors question whether the National Counselor Exam differentiates between effective and ineffective counselors and question why only 8% of American Counseling Association members…

Focuses on the use of skill competency lists in occupational programs and the credentialing of skill proficiencies. Data from two National Center for Education Statistics surveys show that most secondary schools with one or more of the relevant occupational programs had developed or adopted skill competency lists for their programs. (Author/SLD)