CCAP Certification Program

Having a professional certification shows pride in yourself and in your career. It lets others know that you have expertise in your field and are committed to keeping your skills up to date.

Our designation, recognized in the professional environment, can lead to greater challenges, opportunities, and financial remuneration to those who achieve certification.

The CCAP designation is a university level certification.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

Membership

All applicants wishing to register in the CCAP program MUST be a member of the Association of Administrative Professionals (the AAP). Membership in good standing must be maintained to earn and retain use of the CCAP designation. Please refer to the membership page for general membership forms.

If you are already a member, please log into the Members Only section of our website. Once logged in you will see a link to enrol in the program.

If you are not yet a member, interested applicants must become a member first. Once a member has access to our Members Only section, they will be able to enrol in our certification program directly through it.

 

You must be a member of the AAP for a minimum of one full year before obtaining the CCAP designation. Membership time can be accumulating as you are working through the program.

 

Education

The AAP administers the CCAP program, but the courses are provided by Canadian accredited universities and colleges across the country. We have partnered with several Canadian universities and colleges and have pre-approved their applicable courses. The list of our educational partners and their course lists can be found on our Educational Partners page.

Courses cover the five Centres of Expertise. Seven courses are required to complete the CCAP program consisting of four compulsory courses and three elective courses.  Courses are typically available in a variety of formats such as in-class, distance education, and online. Courses can be taken in any order.

Centre of Expertise   Related Courses
COMPULSORY
Communications
  • Business Writing

Leadership/Management

 
  • Organizational Behaviour
  • Management/ Supervision Studies
  • Human Resource Management
ELECTIVES
Project Management
(choose one)
  • Project Management
  • Event Management
Technology/Computer Skills
(choose one)
  • Social Media
  • Website Design/Management
  • Advanced levels of Microsoft Programs (certification as Microsoft Expert is accepted)
Business Operations
(choose one)
  • Financial Accounting
  • Statistics
  • Marketing
  • Public Relations
  • Economics

To take a course you must register through the institution of your choice (as per their registration process), and any fees related to taking these courses are payable to that school. View the list of our Educational Partners and their specific CCAP course lists on our Educational Partners page.

Experience

You do not have to have a certain number of years of experience to enrol in the CCAP program. Experience can be accumulated while you are working through the program. However, to be awarded the certificate you must have a minimum of five years’ work experience or three years’ experience if you have a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). Work experience must be verified by a supervisor/manager.

Verification of the mastery of the core competencies below must be provided prior to obtaining the CCAP certificate.

Work Competencies to be Validated**

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Examples:

  1. Financial/ accounting /budgets
  2. Project/Event Management
  3. File and Information Management
  4. Research, analytical, critical thinking and problem solving
  5. Meeting coordination (all aspects)

TECHNOLOGY
Examples:

  1. Computer skills (Microsoft Office, spreadsheets),
  2. Internet Research
  3. Live Meeting/ Skype
  4. Other research expertise
  5. Social media
  6. Website management
  7. Electronic calendar/ scheduling

LEADERSHIP/ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS
Examples:

  1. Human Resources
  2. Professionalism
  3. Time management/prioritizing
  4. Reliable and dependable
  5. Team player
  6. Leadership/Management skills
  7. Confidentiality

COMMUNICATIONS/INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
Examples:

  1. Report/proposal writing,
  2. Public relations
  3. Business communications (both oral and written)
  4. Email protocol
  5. Presentations
  6. Interpersonal communications expertise to maintain successful professional relationships

These work competencies must be verified by a current or previous supervisor (or someone in a position to professionally confirm) that the CCAP student has demonstrated expertise in each of the four categories in a work component equaling a minimum of two working years.

These core competencies were identified by employers across the country as being crucial to the role of an advanced-level administrative professional.

Templates for the verification letters can be found in the Certification Information section of the Members Only section.

CERTIFICATION RENEWAL REQUIREMENTS

The AAP encourages members to continuously upgrade their skills through continuous learning. To remain consistent with other professional associations who require their members to renew their professional designation on a regular basis, we provide our CCAP graduates with a process to regularly renew their certification and maintain professional currency. Since April 1, 2010, students who enroll in and graduate from the CCAP program must complete a certification renewal process every three years.

For more information about certification renewal please go to our Certification Renewal page.