May 3 - Big Meeting

I have a meeting this morning that I have been trying to arrange for a long time. It is with two representatives of Governor Joe Manchin III's staff.

Last week, while I was participating in the Governor's proclamation of Administrative Professionals Week, I mentioned to him that I had tried to get legislation introduced to instruct the Division of Personnel [the administration's personnel office] to recognize and rate the Certified Professional Secretary(R) and the Certified Administrative Professional(R) ratings, and to consider the achievement during reviews and promotional consideration.

The ratings are earned by those in the administrative support profession who have achieved documentable on-the-job experience and can pass a rigorous 8 hour exam. Colleges and universities across the country recognize this exam and award up to 31 credit hours toward degrees. In addition, West Virginia State Community and Technical College provides a 3 credit hour review course for the exam. I've both taken and taught the course. It isn't easy!

So, the Governor asks me what happened to my legislation. I told him it was never introduced, but I did get a late start. He instructed his assistant to arrange a meeting for me with two of his staffers to discuss the matter further and begin looking into it.

That meeting is this morning!

My ultimate goal is to have the ratings recognized by all state agencies, provide a one-time bonus for those passing the exam and when they recertify and to encourage continued professional developement.

Yes, this is a huge goal. But major private industries across the world recognize this certification. Our Governor wants West Virginia to be 'open for business' and he's frequently commented on the need for state employees to perform in a more professional manner.

Let's face it, there is no way to force every employee to improve like that. But, with this tool and incentive, you may bring more of them to the table. You will provide a goal that they can reach. Not every employee will want to go back to school for a college degree. And expecting that from everyone is not realistic. But you can provide the incentive for them to achieve certification in their field, just like you do with Microsoft operating and software programs, accountants, and other professions.

The administrative support professions is still very misunderstood and suffers from prejudices. We aren't all women, men are increasing in number, we aren't only secretaries and receptionists and we can do more than make coffee and chew gum.

Tearing down this stereotype is going to take a long time!