WHAT IS THE APTD?

The Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) is a professional certification for TD professionals with at least three years of experience—those who are in the early parts of their careers or whose professional roles and aspirations are focused on foundational areas of the field.

An APTD understands that well-designed talent development strategies and solutions contribute to organizational success and has a strong grounding in the foundational knowledge of the field.

Who is an APTD Candidate?

The typical APTD credential holder has 3-5 years of experience in talent development. These professionals are in the early parts of their career or are individual contributors, or have talent development as part of their role.

Many of our APTD candidates are “accidental trainers” without formal education in training and development. Some work full-time in the field, while others work part-time. Learn more about who is in the APTD community.

APTD or CPTD? What's the Difference?

Get a quick view of Which Certification is for You? and then explore the details:

• APTD covers a subset of the Talent Development Capability Model focused more on the knowledge statements. Compare the APTD and CPTD exam content outlines side-by-side here.

• While both the APTD and CPTD exams are application-based, the APTD exam covers a more foundational set of knowledge and skills than the CPTD exam.

• CPTD is focused on the organizational impact and strategy for talent development while APTD is focused on the foundational understanding of the scope of talent development solutions.

Who is It For?

The typical APTD credential holder has 3-5 years of experience in talent development. 

These professionals are in the early parts of their career or are individual contributors, or have talent development as part of their role.

Many of our APTD candidates are “accidental trainers” without formal education in training and development. Some work full-time in the field, while others work part-time.