Why does the cost engineering field need a cost engineering certification?

Why have we created a cost engineering certification? Well, most industries have established and well-communicated standards for what it means to be an expert in the field.  The ability to quickly communicate knowledge and skillsets is necessary for anyone in a professional environment to prove that they really know their stuff.

ENTER CERTIFICATIONS – Certifications do just that!

Businesses looking to hire in professional fields seek applicants with credentials that communicate their knowledge and skillsets.  Many professions even require it because how else will the hiring manager know that the applicant is qualified for the job?

Think of some professional certifications that quickly come to mind.  Maybe you thought:

• In project management, you have the PMP.

• For business operations, you have Six Sigma.

• Some fields, such as accounting, have numerous certifications starting with CPA.

• … perhaps even certifications for teachers, automotive mechanics, beauticians, plumbers, or any other number of professions came to mind!

We bet one that did NOT come to mind is a cost engineering certification!  But let’s put that aside for a moment.

Let’s go back to those fields mentioned above and consider what is going through an employer’s mind.  When they’re looking at an applicant, they’re probably wondering:

• “Has someone mastered the basics of accounting?”

• “Do they have the experience that comes with managing projects?”

• “Can they effectively run an operations or logistics department?”

Professionals holding the certifications that you thought of can confidently say YES – they are EXPERTS… and hiring managers know it!

But, how did those certifications come to be?  How did the professionals in those fields decide what the required level of knowledge to adequately perform those jobs should be?  How did anyone even agree to what constituted an “expert”?

All of those standards came from the consensus of experts with years and years of experience in those industries.  They formed professional organizations where they could discuss and learn from each other.  They came together to decide what level of knowledge is necessary to prove that someone has mastered the concepts in the field.  Those experts then established those standards and created courses and certifications to train professionals in those concepts and then prove that these professionals had mastered those concepts.

SO LET’S NOW RETURN TO THE TOPIC OF A COST ENGINEERING CERTIFICATION.

The field of cost engineering is steadily growing.  However, until the formation of the Society of Product Cost Engineering and Analytics (SPCEA), there has not been an authoritative body of knowledge for the cost engineering and cost analytics field generally… and certainly not for cost engineers specializing in manufacturing!

Sure, there are books, consulting businesses, software developers, and very specific courses for very specific industries (we offer some of those too and you should check them out!) but no widely accepted set of standards.  Experts existed before we formed but they didn’t yet have a well-communicated consensus on what defined an expert in cost engineering as it pertained to manufacturing.

Many experts in the field of cost engineering and cost analytics came together to make SPCEA so that we could network and learn from one another.  It is our mission to spread awareness and knowledge of cost engineering methodologies to increase the efficiency and success of manufacturing industries.  Naturally, to meet that aim, discussions ensued and common topics arose in those discussions.  Typical challenges and obstacles regularly entered the conversation.  Then our expert members used those topics to define what the standards should be and define what professionals in the field should know.

Thus, the logical next step occurred when we decided that it was time to communicate those standards.  We collaborated to create training to meet the needs of professionals in the field and employers in manufacturing industries.  The Certified Product Cost Expert TM training and certification is the outcome of this meeting of the minds- a certification for cost engineers.

So, how does a cost engineering expert communicate their knowledge to the field?  How does an expert confidently say, “Yes, I am an expert cost engineer”?  How can an employer be sure that they are hiring the right person?  We can confidently assert that through the Certified Product Cost Expert training and certification!

What do you need to do to prove your expertise or grow your skills?  Get your CPCE certification now.