6 Education
March 2017
How associations can lead on education
By Mark Athitakis
Associations have the infrastructure to help remake the education industry , according to a new White Paper . What ’ s lacking is the will to promote it .
Associations are forever being scolded that they need to run more like a business . But what if they already are ? That might be the case when it comes to education .
In a recent White Paper , titled The Association Role in the New Education Paradigm , Spark Consulting ’ s Elizabeth Weaver Engel and Alcorn Associates ’ Shelly Alcorn argue that associations have the educational infrastructure structure and industry connections required to respond to the rapid shifts in secondary education . With the size of college debt leaving many learners skittish and many companies embracing microcredentialing , associations have an opportunity to fill the gap . the problem is , they say , associations don ’ t promote their capabilities on this front , which leaves the rising for-profit education industry , or corporations in general , in a position to snap up a market that associations should own .
“ I think associations are the best secret going . We do a good job with this , and nobody knows ,” says Alcorn .
“ Associations have been unfortunately obsessed with the idea of membership for so long that they are not seeing the fact that one of the reasons why those membership streams are drying up is those people aren ’ t making it into the profession in the first place ,” she adds . In their White Paper , Engel and Alcorn lay out the various ways associations can play a major role in training . They have access to employers who are often looking for skilled labour that doesn ’ t necessarily require a secondary degree ; they have experience providing credentials and certifications , which may have more immediate relevance within an industry ; they can provide relevant training more quickly than the college degree process ; and they can connect with students who don ’ t fit traditional definitions of students .
Training by design “ Association professional development programmes have been designed from the beginning to be completed by people who are working full time and who have significant other responsibilities ,” the White Paper notes .
“ Associations don ’ t expect our audiences to put their entire lives on hold for multiple years while they attend in-person classes for months at a time .” So what ’ s standing in the way ? For one thing , a cultural assumption that a secondary degree is the only meaningful path to a decent-paying professional career . But Alcorn and Engel argue that there ’ s plenty the association community can do to make a case for themselves . In their Paper , they point to a handful of associations that have ramped up and broadened their education efforts .
In the United States , The HR Certification Institute , for instance , created a credential for newcomers in the industry but not necessarily HR professionals ; state CPA societies in Maryland and Ohio emphasised training in soft skills and skills students needed ; the National Association of Licensed Practical
Nurses provides stepping stones for its members to climb the next rung in the nursing ladder . All of these efforts are still within the associations ’ mission , but expand the community and find ways to betters support it .
“ They ’ re not completely throwing over the old stuff , but they had to say , ‘ We need to start thinking a little bit differently about who we ’ re serving and how we ’ re serving them , and the forces that are affecting our industry , and position ourselves not just be looking ahead for next year ’ s programming ’,” Engel says .
“ Each one of those associations had to acknowledge that there was a broader constituency that they weren ’ t tapping into , and they had to look at the at the actual dynamics inside their professions ,” notes Alcorn .
Simply recognising the problem and its potential is one easy way to start . That ’ s especially true of associations that do work internationally , particularly in countries that