CLC Framework

IMPA CLC FRAMEWORK

For any professional Image Consultant, it is important to keep developing skills to moveahead in the profession and achieve greater heights. IMPA CLC framework provides the roadmap for this continuous learning process for all their Certified Members.

The CLC framework has been developed to enable all certified members of IMPA to:

  • Continuously upgrade their knowledge, skill and competence so as to establish themselves as distinguished professionals with high credibility.
  • Adopt a guided and structured process for progression in certification level and subsequent market leverage.
  • To nurture a participative community of Image Consultants who uphold the values of IMPA and spread awareness of the Image industry consistently.
What are Continuous Learning Credits?
  • Continuous Learning Credits or CLCs are points awarded to Member Consultants of IMPA for various activities they undertake in professional arena as per the CLC framework.
  • The CLCs earned by a consultant are indicative of the overall development of the Member Consultant in the areas of Learning & Self-development, IMPA Community Participation and Paid Professional Service, as an Image Consultant and/or a Soft Skills Trainer.
Earning CLCs:

To sustain Certification Levels and to progress to higher levels of Certification, certain level of CLCs areto be earned by the Members. The IMPA Board will examine the activities undertaken by the Member through the CLC claim forms submitted with detailed proof and permit renewal or higher certification of the Member.

CLCs are earned in three ways –

  • 1. IMPA- Learning Events : Attending or delivering a course or a Learning Event leading to professional growth as an Image Professional will earn you CLCs. Example – Attending or delivering an IMPA Class, IMPA Expert Class and IMPA Master Class.
  • 2. IMPA- CommunityParticipation Participating in functioning of IMPA by holding an office position or by conducting/participating in IMPA initiatives, events and activities including social activities by creating an impact on people/society/individuals about Image Management &/or Soft Skills.
  • 3. IMPA- Professional Practice Paid Professional work undertaken and successfully completed will earn CLCs for the certified members as it demonstrates professional experience leading to learning. In this category, it is not about achieving a certain number of CLCs but it is about meeting a minimum requirement of 80 hours of paid work through client consultations and corporate assignments to be undertaken per year, which will earn 2 CLCs for the certified member. Details of the work done would need to be submitted as per prescribed format to IMPA, for allotment of the CLCs.

The CLC ELIGIBILIGY CHART defines the number of CLCs eligible for each activity and accordingly the CLCs for each member will be compiled. (Refer Annexure I)

Claiming CLCs:

The Member Consultants will have to submit a CLC CLAIM FORMto IMPA at the time of renewal of membership and while applying for certification, giving the list of activities participated in and the CLC’s claimed therefor during the previous year. The activities will be verified along with the proof submitted and the CLCs earned would be confirmed to the Member by IMPA.It is advisable that the individual members maintain a complete record of all the IMPA activities attended, undertaken by them as per the CLC Chart, which would help them to submit the CLC CLAIM FORM (Refer Annexure II)at the time of renewal andwhile applying for certification.

Certification Level
Minimum term for next level
CLCs required for each year of the term
IMPA Certified Professional
1 Year
10
IMPA Certified Associate 2 Years 20
IMPA Certified Senior Associate 5 Years 30
IMPA Certified Master - -
KEY DEFINITIONS

Learning Events: Knowledge/Educational Events/Sessions organised by IMPA Chapters for the benefit of the members from time to time, in the categories of IMPA Class, IMPA Expert Class and IMPA Master Class.

The topic/subject of these classes will be such that it aids/develops and assists an Image Professional in his/her work. For example:

  • Digital Marketing,
  • Making Client Proposals,
  • Making Impactful Presentations or
  • Specialized training skills like facilitation, drama in training, Storytelling etc.

IMPA Class: A half-day to full day workshop conducted online or offline, on topics related to Image Managementby a Certified member/memberof IMPA, who is a domain or subject matter specialist.These will be organized as National Learning (Paid) Events by the Chapters with the approval of IMPA Board.

IMPA Class (External):IMPA Class can be conducted byan external“Subject Matter Expert”from the industry, as approved by the IMPA Managing Committee. These will be organized as online National Learning (Paid) Events by the Chapters with the approval of IMPA Board.

IMPA Expert Class: A half, one day or two-day workshop conducted by an IMPA Senior Associate (3rd level certified) online or offline, to gain deeper knowledge in any subject matter relating to Image Consulting or development of business of Image Professionals. These will be organized as National Learning (Paid) Events by the Chapters with the approval of IMPA Board.

For example:

  • Advanced Face Shape Analysis,
  • How to effectively market workshops,
  • Growing your Image Consulting Business,
  • Alliances- an effective way to increase your Image Consulting business,
  • Social media for business growth etc.

IMPA Master Class: A half, one or a two-day workshop conducted by an Image Master, certified from any association,on a topic related to Image Management with due approval from IMPA Board. IMPA Master Classwill be on any trending/relevant topic beneficial for members in their professional practice of client consultation, general knowledge, or business enhancement.These will be organized as online National Learning (Paid) Events by the Chapters with the approval of IMPA Board.

IMPA Community Participation: IMPA will continue to organize activities that help in strengthening the Community of Image Management Professionals. Participation in these activities will earn CLCs for the Certified Members.

For example–

  • Attending IMPA National Conference,
  • Speaker at IMPA National Conference,
  • Holding an office position in IMPA – Chapter President/ Chapter Secretary or any other as decided by IMPA Board from time to time,
  • Image Management/Soft skills focused CSR and awareness activities etc,
  • Contributing resources/ articles/useful information on Mindshare& IMPA digital platforms
  • Responding to, participating, and promoting image management through IMPA initiatives announced from time to time like -
  • Conducting Maid-in-Heaven campaigns
  • Participating in Image Circle Meetings
  • Conducting IMGS workshops with good number of participants
  • And any other initiatives to be announced from time to time.

The complete list of activities under Community Participation are given in the CLC ELIGIBILITY CHART given at the end.

Paid Professional Practice: Paid Professional work undertaken and successfully completed will also earn CLCs for the certified members as it demonstrates professional experience leading to learning. A minimum requirement of 80 hours of paid work through client consultations and corporate assignmentsis to be undertaken per year, which will earn 2 CLCs for the certified member.

Consultants putting in 80+ hours up to 1000 hours of paid professional work per annum would earn 3 CLCs and those exceeding 1000 hours of work per annum will earn 5 CLCs. Details of the work done must be submitted in the CLC claim form as per prescribed format, to IMPA, for allotment of CLCs.

Other Important Points:

  • It is mandatory to earn CLCs every yearfrom all three categories – Learning Activities, Community Participation and Paid Professional Service.
  • The minimum 2 CLCs to be achieved under the ‘Professional Practice of Image Management’ is also a mandatory requirement.
  • Out of the balance CLCs required to be earned, based on the certification level, not more than 70% can be achieved under any one of the two remaining categories.
  • In case a certified member is not able to achieve the number of CLCs required to progress to a higher level in a year for some unavoidable circumstances, IMPA Managing Committee may permit making up of the same in the next year based on the nature of circumstances and the level of participation of the candidate in furthering the cause of IMPA.
  • In case a certified member attends an educational event outside of IMPA framework of IMPA Class, IMPA Expert Class or IMPA Master Class and feels that there should be credit given for CLCs, the same will be considered by IMPA Managing Committee, based on the validity of the event &evidence of having attended the same.
  • In both the above cases the decision of IMPA Managing Committee will be final and binding.
  • Notwithstanding anything contained above, IMPA Managing Committee has discretionary powers to allot up to 10 CLC points per year, for any extraordinary service and contribution made by Certified Members.
IMPA Certification Levels and Requirement of CLCs

To maintain the current certification level or to progress from current certification level to a higher certification level, it requires a stipulated number of CLCs to be earned during each year as a mandatory requirement, in addition to other defined requirements.

IMPA Continuous Learning Credits
CLC ALLOCATION
Learning Events
1 IMPA Master Class attendance 3-5 CLCs per day
2 IMPA Expert Class attendance 2 CLCs per day
3 IMPA Expert Class delivery 3 CLCs per day
4 Attending an IMPA Class 1 CLC per day
5 Attending an IMPA Webinar 1 CLC per webinar
6 Delivery of IMPA Class/Webinar – a domain or subject matter expert who is an IMPA member (subject to approval by IMPA) 2 CLCs per class/webinar
7 Attending 3 or more programs conducted by an external agency equivalent to the IMPA class or expert class (subject to approval by IMPA) 2 CLC per year
Community Participation
8 IMPA National Conference – Participation 5 CLCs
9 Speaker at IMPA National Conference 2 CLCs per year
10 IMPA National Head 3 CLCs per year
11 IMPA Chapter Head 2 CLCs per year
12 IMPA Chapter Secretary 1 CLC per year
13 Initiation of a CSR Initiative related with Image Building that support Image Management or Initiatives impacting lives of others positively by any form of learning and development initiatives 2 CLCs per initiative
14 Facilitating a corporate tie-up for CSR initiatives – tie-up must result in ongoing assignment for IMPA & is subject to IMPA approval by IMPA 2 CLCs per tie-up
15 Innovative assignment undertaken to promote the concept of Image Management that is unique in design and attracts attention of people towards the concept of Image Management/Image Consulting. (subject to approval by IMPA) 2 CLCs per assignment
16 Active on IMPA Social media platforms. Actively promoting the concept of Image Management, with a minimum of 5 post a month on the said/related topic on personal Facebook/twitter/Linked-in. The posts should largely evoke interest and curiosity about Image Management and excite people about the kind of work done and awareness created in this field with supporting evidence. 3 CLCs per year
17 Speaker in a big public forum as an Image evangelist and educating men & women including image consultants/professionals, on Image Management topics through workshops & trainings 2 CLCs per year
18 Getting an IMPA award 4 CLCs per year
19 Publishing articles, original systems or developed work such as and not confined to books, booklets, teaching or training aids, and/or image products. 2 CLCs per year
20 Contributing resources/ articles/ useful information for the benefit of all IMPA members (subject to IMPA approval) 2 CLCs per year
Professional Practice
21 Mandatory 80 hours of paid professional practice of client consultations & corporate assignments per year 2 CLCs per year
Introduction

The CLC framework has been developed to enable all certified members of IMPA to:

  • Continuously upgrade their knowledge, skill and competence so as to establish themselves as distinguished professionals with high credibility.
  • Adopt a guided and structured process for progression in certification level and subsequent market leverage.
  • To nurture a participative community of Image Consultants and professionals who uphold the values of IMPA and spread awareness of the Image industry.
REQUIREMENT OF CLCs

To maintain the current certification level or to progress from current certification level to a higher certification level requires a stipulated number of CLCs to be earned during each year as a mandatory requirement, in addition to other defined requirements. (Refer www.impagroup.org/certification/).

Certification Level

Minimum term for next level

CLCs required for each year of the term

IMPA Certified Professional 1 Year 10
IMPA Certified Associate 2 Years 20
IMPA Certified Senior Associate 5 Years 30
IMPA Certified Master

While it is extremely important to earn as many CLCs as possible to achieve professional growth, the CLCs cannot be carried forward from one year to another. With market dynamics continuously changing, it is mandatory to earn CLCs every year, even though one may have acquired more than the minimum requirement in a year.

EARNING CLCs

CLCs can be earned through the three methods explained below.

  1. IMPA- Learning Events: Attending or delivering a course or a class leading to professional growth as an Image Professional will earn you CLCs. It can either be organized by IMPA (IMPA Class, IMPA Expert Class and IMPA Master Class) or can be those conducted by an external agency. However, in case of attending the course or class conducted by an external agency, it will be required to get an approval from IMPA for its validity, to be considered as a CLC earning event. Delivering a class for an external agency will not be considered for allotting CLC under Learning Events but will be categorised under Community Participation or Professional Practice, as applicable.
  2. IMPA- Community Participation: Participating in functioning of IMPA by holding an office position or by participating in IMPA events and activities.
  3. IMPA- Professional Practice: Work done in the field of Image Management including receiving awards from IMPA for excellence in work.

Each of the above is explained in detail as under.

LEARNING EVENTS

IMPA will organize educational events from time to time and these events will be in the categories of IMPA Class, IMPA Expert Class and IMPA Master Class.

IMPA Class

IMPA Class could be a half-day to full day workshop conducted through personalized training or webinars by a member who is a domain or subject matter expert or an external trainer/mentor from the industry, as approved by the IMPA Managing Committee. Delivering an IMPA class / webinar would earn 2 CLCs per class/ webinar. Attending the same will earn 1 CLC per day. The subject of the class will be such that it develops and assists an Image Professional in his/her work. For example:

  • Digital Marketing
  • Making Proposals
  • Making Presentations
  • Specialized training skills like facilitation, drama in training etc.

IMPA Expert Class

IMPA Expert Class can be one day or two days and will be conducted by an IMPA Senior Associate (3rd level certified) via personalized training or through webinars. The subject of the class would be on similar lines like an IMPA class or a deeper knowledge in any subject matter relating to Image Consulting or development of business of Image Professionals. For example:

  • Advanced Face Shape Analysis
  • How to effectively market workshops
  • Growing your Image Consulting Business
  • Alliances- an effective way to increase your Image Consulting business

Attending IMPA Expert Class would earn you 2 CLCs per day. Delivering an Expert class would earn 3 CLCs per day.

IMPA Master Class

An Image Master certified from any association in this domain will conduct IMPA Master Class. It can be one or two days. IMPA Master Classwill be on any related topic.Attending an IMPA Master Class would earn you 3 – 5 CLCs per day.

IMPA COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

IMPA will continue to organize activities that help in strengthening the Community of Image Management Professionals. Participation in these activities will earn CLCs for the Certified Members. For example:

  • Attending IMPA National Conference
  • Speaker at IMPA National Conference
  • Holding an office position in IMPA
  • Image Management focused CSR and awareness activities etc.
  • Facilitating a corporate tie-up for CSR initiatives
  • Innovative assignment undertaken that increases awareness about the Image Management Community
  • Spreading awareness through social media
  • Speaker in a public forum promoting Image Management & educating men & women including image consultants & professionals through workshops & trainings on image management topics
  • Getting an IMPA Award
  • Publishing articles, original systems or developed work such as and not confined to books, booklets, teaching or training aids, and/or image products
  • Contributing resources/articles/useful information for the benefit of all IMPA members(subject to IMPA approval)

Note: Full description of above points is provided in the CLC allocation sheet.

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Paid Professional work undertaken and successfully completed will also earn CLCs for the certified members as it demonstrates professional experience leading to learning. In this category, it is not about achieving a certain number of CLCs but it is about meeting a minimum requirement of 80 hours of paid work through client consultations and corporate assignments to be undertaken per year, which will earn 2 CLCs for the certified member. Details of the work done would need to be submitted as per prescribed format to IMPA, for allotment of the CLCs.

Notes:

  • It is mandatory to earn CLCs every year in each of the 3 ways. The 2 CLCs to be achieved under the ‘Professional Practice of Image Management’ is a mandatory requirement.
  • Out of the balance CLCs required to be earned, based on the certification level, not more than 70% can be achieved under any one of the two remaining categories.
  • In case a certified member is not able to achieve the number of CLCs required to progress to a higher level in a year for some unavoidable circumstances, IMPA Managing Committee may permit making up of the same in the next year based on the nature of circumstances and the level of participation of the candidate in furthering the cause of IMPA.
  • In case a certified member attends an educational event outside of IMPA framework of IMPA Class, IMPA Expert Class or IMPA Master Class and feels that there should be credit given for CLCs, the same will be considered by IMPA Managing Committee, based on the validity of the event &evidence of having attended the same.
  • In both the above cases the decision of IMPA Managing Committee will be final and binding.
  • Notwithstanding anything contained above, IMPA Managing Committee has discretionary powers to allot up to 10 CLC points per year, for any extraordinary service and contribution made by Certified Members.