By Robert Stewart, CVS-Life, FSAVE, PMP, PMI-RMP – President, SAVE International
I wanted to focus this month’s message on informing our members with a status on the ongoing updates to our training and certification programs. We have completed the overhaul of the Value Methodology Fundamentals (VMF) 1 course, which is a prerequisite to taking the Value Methodology Associate (VMA) exam. The new VMF 1 is now composed of two courses: the VMF 1a and VMF 1b.
The VMF 1a eLearning course is designed to provide learners an overview of all the relevant core competencies they will need to know to prepare for the VMA exam. This course should take approximately 6-8 hours to complete and is a prerequisite to taking the VMF 1b training course.
The VMF 1b training course will be instructor-led and focus on introducing learners to the application of the Value Methodology (VM) techniques. The VMF 1b training course includes an instructor work plan, case studies, instructional slides, and exercises that Certified Value Specialist (CVS) instructors will use to structure the training. Instructors will have the option of using the case study provided or using their own project. The VMF 1b will be a minimum of 24-hours in duration. A “train the trainer” course has been developed to familiarize instructors with the educational content.
Both courses will be based on the SAVE International VM Guide, and each learning element is directly tied back to specific sections to assist learners in fully understanding the concepts. These courses will be available on October 1, 2024.
Existing VMF 1 courses may continue to be taught in the old format through the end of 2024. After that, all instructor led VMF 1 courses must convert to the new VMF 1b format.
The new VMF 2 course is now in development. It will follow a similar format and will be composed of a VMF 2a eLearning course and a VMF 2b instructor-led training course. It is anticipated that the VMF 2 courses will be completed by October 2025.
In addition, the SAVE Certification Board has been working diligently on updating the certification requirements and developing the new VMA and CVS exams. It is anticipated that the new exams will be ready in January 2025.
A summary of the timeline of these updates is provided below:
- October 1, 2024: VMF 1a eLearning course will be available
- October 1, 2024: VMF 1b instructor-led training course will be available
- December 31, 2024: Existing VMF 1 course will be retired and the VMF 1b must be adopted
- January 31, 2025: New VMA exam will be available
- January 31, 2025: New CVS exam will be available
- October 1, 2025: VMF 2a eLearning course will be available
- October 1, 2025: VMF 2b instructor-led course will be available
We are excited to finally be at a point where we can launch these changes!
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