The Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD)

Am I Eligible for the APTD?

To be eligible for the APTD program, candidates must:

• Have at least three years of work experience** in the talent development field or related discipline (related disciplines include human resources, higher education or similar) AND
• Complete 28 hours of professional development in talent development** within the last three years.

Examples of Professional Development

• In-person, virtual, or self-paced courses offered through ATD or other education providers
• Education sessions at TD events like conferences and workshops, including Chapter and Member Network events
• ATD micro course library (free access to ATD Professional Plus Members)—see what courses count toward your professional development
• Courses and certificate programs offered by higher education
• Webinars & webcasts

Here is a reference resource with ideas for free and inexpensive professional development.

Any ATD Masters Series program (such as Master Trainer) completed in the last three years will satisfy the full professional development requirement. For more details on APTD eligibility, see this excerpt from the APTD Handbook.

Unsure if your professional development will count? Use this helpful guide.

Program Guidelines

The APTD Certification Handbook is the technical guide for the APTD program and provides individuals with everything they need to understand to complete the certification process. This is the primary source for APTD program support and is a must-read for candidates. Candidates must follow all policies, procedures, and deadlines outlined in this Handbook.

The ATD Certification Institute reserves the right to change the standards, application, and requirements for certification and recertification and will do so as necessary; therefore, it is important that candidates refer to the Handbook on an ongoing basis to ensure they have access to the most current information. The most recent version of the APTD Certification Handbook can be downloaded below.

**Work Experience

Work experience is defined as on-the-job experience, working with adults, performing talent development activities as described in the Developing Professional Capability and/or Impacting Organizational Capability domains of the Talent Development Capability Model.

**Professional Development

Professional Development for eligibility is defined as the following kinds of activities when where the content covered falls into the Building Professional Capability and the Impacting Organizational Capability domains of the Talent Development Capability Model. Content from concepts found in the Developing Personal Capability domain are not applicable for eligibility. Courses designed to prepare you for APTD certification exams may be applicable, if preapproved. ATD’s new preparation courses for the updated APTD can be reported for a total of 20 hours of professional development eligibility.