The more you know, the more attractive your resume becomes tocurrent and future employers. Having an ACORD CertifiedExpert (ACE) designation is extremely appealing throughout theindustry. ACORD now has over 100 ACEs worldwide, spanningevery standards program. That number continues to grow.

The ACE certification consists of three comprehensive tests onACORD history, governance and process; implementation; and,insurance knowledge. An ACE on your resume proves that youhave a thorough understanding of the skills and knowledge needed toimplement ACORD Standards. It is as important for employersas it is for job seekers.

“Just look at any employment website and you will seecountless resumes claiming to have ACORD expertise. Now wehave a benchmark for what that means. Our ACEs are able toidentify projects within their company that are relevant to ACORDand where they should be using ACORD Standards,” says BethGrossman, Chief Learning Officer.

ACEs that have their designation say that the rewards areendless. “It was beneficial to take the courses and brush upon the areas where I may not have been an expert. You canthen bring that knowledge back to your company and share it withothers and encourage them to learn what ACORD does and what ACORDcan do to expand our knowledge,” says Kathleen Beaulieu, ACE, MMGInsurance.

“The great thing about the ACE process is that it exposes you todifferent parts of the Standard that you may not have learned aboutbefore. It makes you explore and dive deep into ACORDStandards,” says Caleen Alexanderson, ACE, from software vendorVertafore.

Lisa Smith, Brovada Technologies Inc., also sees the benefit ofbecoming an ACE and completed her designation for the October, 2012conferment ceremony.

“Being certified in ACORD Standards is one way where we cancommunicate to our customers effectively that we have thatknowledge and expertise in order to guide them through thoseprocesses,” Smith says.

Keeping the Tests Current

ACORD had many accomplishments related to the ACE program in2012 and into 2013. ACORD needs a constant influx of newquestions for the tests to stay current. It therefore established amethodology for ACEs to volunteer to be question writers for futuretest takers. ACEs were handpicked to attend a three-dayworkshop to learn how to write good test questions and collaborateon the authoring process. There is now a large bank of testquestions as a result of that hard work.

“The easy part is writing the questions and correctanswers. The hard part is writing three distracters, or wronganswers that are feasible,” Grossman added.

ACEs Stay Connected

Both ACEs and ACE candidates form a strong community with commongoals. To help those potential ACEs get ahead and keepcurrent ACEs up to date, ACORD has launched two ACE Communitywebsites. One is accessible by all ACEs, candidates, andapplicants. The other is exclusive to the certificants. Both sitesfeature access to special news and updates specifically for the ACEcommunity.

It's cause for celebration when an individual completes theprogram. They are recognized at a conferment ceremony at theACORD Implementation Forum, where they are presented with acertificate and a lapel pin, and are treated with a special statusbecause of their accomplishments.

Following graduation, ACEs stay heavily involved, and many havededicated their time and efforts to further expanding and improvingthe program and continuing to learn. The ACE continuingeducation and continuing professional development programs areunderway and will help ACEs stay on top of their game.

Details about the tests, training materials and proctorlocations are available on the acord.org/ace website or via email:[email protected].

ACORD Knowledge Center

One of the most exciting things ACORD did in 2012 was toestablish the ACORD Knowledge Center. Since it started,attendance has grown into the hundreds. If you if you miss alesson, they are available for download. Industry leadersvolunteer their time and expertise to help ACORD implementersunderstand not only standards, but other related topics needed todo their jobs well. Webinars include topics such as cloudcomputing, mobile platforms, social media issues andeSignatures.

Keep an eye out for topics of interest to you. ACORD hasanywhere from one to three per month. ACORD has become aone-stop shop for people who are implementing our standards and forthose with other issues that need handling.

ACORD is always looking for new webinar ideas, speakers, andsuggestions. You can email [email protected] with suggestions.

Training

Over the past several months, requests have been increasing frommembers and non-members worldwide for ACORD training. These arecustomized instructor-led events provided either in-person orvirtually.

“As companies continue to expand their ACORD implementations, oras new groups of staff need to familiarize themselves with ACORDStandards, their need for training increases. Equallyimportant are the self-paced online courses and the instructor- andvirtual instructor-led courses. We are there to support youthrough your implementation process in whatever way is mostconvenient,” says Grossman.