APTD Introduction
Validating your foundational talent development knowledge and skills
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.
Need to Convince Your Manager or Employer?
Visit the Convince Your Employer to Support Your Certification Journey webpage dedicated to discussing the value of the APTD certification with your employer. Download a letter template to begin a discussion and share the key resources to gain their support.
Ready for the Details?
For detailed information about the APTD credential, explore the Talent Development Capability Model and the APTD Certification Handbook below.
The APTD covers a subset of foundational knowledge from the Talent Development Capability Model and how to use that knowledge in talent development. It is focused on the capabilities required for successful performance by early career professionals. These areas were identified by the research as core building blocks for talent development professionals.
Download the current APTD content outline for a detailed overview of what knowledge and skill statements are covered on the new exam.
It is recommended that candidates for the APTD take the self-assessment based on the Talent Development Capability Model to identify skill gaps and to prioritize preparation.
Choose an exam window, access the certification portal, and submit your application.
These people earned the APTD and have these great things to say about it!
APTDs Share Why They Pursued Certification
Don’t Be a Pseudo-Trainer; Get Certified
As someone with a growth mindset and a strong passion for learning and sharing information, the trainer role appears to be a perfect fit for me. Prior to holding my first official talent development role, I’d done training officially and unofficially...
A Step on the APTD Journey: Capabilities Come to Life
My career in learning and development began years before I knew I would be in the field. As a compliance director specializing in affordable housing regulations, part of my job was explaining regulations and teaching procedures to others...
My Continuous Learning Journey Through APTD Certification
I joined the learning field by intention, not by accident. As a business professional progressing through the various stages of my career, I have always admired the discipline and structure of the training process; however, I didn’t always understand...
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