New program showcases EDP-designated members and recognizes corporate advocates 

Lutz, FL – Xplor International’s EDP® Commission today announced a new marketing initiative designed to drive new association membership and increase awareness of the value of industry certification.

Xplor is a worldwide, not-for-profit association of users and suppliers of the products and services that create, modify, and deliver customized information using a variety of document technologies. Its mission is to be the community of choice for education, information sharing and networking that continually strives to meet the needs of its members and to provide leadership to the evolution of the document systems and customer communications industry.

EDP is an industry designation awarded to qualified individuals who have demonstrated broad knowledge of, and experience in, digital communications - whether in print, over internal networks, or online - from document creation to distribution. 

“The EDP certification program has been administered by Xplor International since its inception in 1990”, stated Skip Henk, EDP, President and CEO of Xplor International. “We are very proud of the initiatives being developed and look forward to our entire membership-base taking advantage of the opportunity to achieve these highly-regarded industry designations.”

The EDP program has three levels: 

• The EDA (Electronic Document Associate) designation is an entry-level designation that is awarded to individuals currently working in the electronic document industry, with a minimum of two years active work experience in the industry and an equivalent of 50 education credits.
• The EDP (Electronic Document Professional®) certification is the second step in the EDP program journey and is awarded to individuals currently working in the electronic document industry, with a minimum of five years active work experience in the industry, who earn an equivalent of 100 education credits and submit a portfolio of actual business examples that demonstrate and document the candidate's expertise.
• The M-EDP (Master Electronic Document Professional) designation is the final step and most prestigious in the EDP program. It is reserved for EDPs who have shown significant business and life experience as an EDP. One must have 10 years and 300 education credits or 15 years and have recertified at least once as an EDP to qualify.

“Having an EDP certification, coupled with Xplor membership, provides the highest value benefits for our respective members”, stated Roberta McKee-Jackson, EDP, Chair of the EDP Commission. “This new marketing initiative will help increase awareness and promote continued education for anyone in the document technologies industry.”

The top-ranked benefits cited by EDP-designated professionals include:

• Recognition and respect by industry peers
• Personal sense of accomplishment and validation of expertise
• Career-based credibility as an individual and for a company with demonstrated credentials
• Belonging to a networked community of subject matter experts (SMEs)
• Incentive for continued education and knowledge sharing 

Phase 1 of this new initiative was recently unveiled at Xplor’s annual conference, Xploration® 14, in Orlando, Florida. Attendees were given a preview of the new EDA, EDP, and M-EDP digital badges to be used on their personal websites and social media pages. Companies with employees who have EDP-designated status also received the newly-created EDP Advocate certificate, in appreciation for their ongoing support of their employees’ continued education in the industry.

If you would like more information about the new EDA, EDP, and M-EDP digital badges, or the EDP program in general, please contact [email protected].