Re-Certification
Recertification trainings are designed to ensure that professionals maintain up-to-date knowledge, skills, and compliance with industry standards over time. Unlike one-time certifications, recertifications require individuals to periodically refresh their competencies, adapt to evolving regulations, and demonstrate continuous professional development. This process is particularly important in industries where outdated knowledge could lead to compliance issues, safety risks, or decreased effectiveness.
The imc Learning Suite supports this process through automated course assignments, notifications and escalation mechanisms, and reporting features. This ensures that organisations remain legally compliant, meet regulatory or internal requirements, and employees stay continuously trained.
Branches and Industries Requiring Recertification
Healthcare & Medicine: Doctors, nurses, and paramedics must regularly renew certifications such as Basic Life Support (BLS) or Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) to align with the latest medical guidelines.
Safety & Compliance: Professions in construction, manufacturing, and logistics require regular training in workplace safety, hazardous material handling, or fire protection.
Information Technology: Certifications like AWS, Cisco, or Microsoft require renewal every few years due to rapid technological developments.
Legal & Finance: Lawyers, tax advisors, and financial auditors must undergo continuing education to comply with changing laws and regulations.
Aviation & Transportation: Pilots and drivers need periodic checks and training to guarantee operational safety.
Corporate Compliance: Employees across sectors often recertify in areas like GDPR, anti-money laundering (AML), or information security.
Typical Intervals
The renewal interval varies depending on the certification body and industry:
Annually: Safety training, workplace compliance modules.
Every 2 years: Medical emergency certifications such as CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support).
Every 3 years: IT certifications (e.g., AWS, Cisco, CompTIA).
Every 3–5 years: Professional licenses in teaching, finance, or law.
Goals Benefits of Recertification Trainings
Up-to-date knowledge and compliance
Goals
Ensure professionals are aligned with the most recent standards, laws, and industry practices.
Close knowledge gaps caused by changing technologies, regulations, or methodologies.
Maintain organizational compliance with accrediting bodies or regulators.
Benefits
Reduced risk of outdated practices leading to errors.
Stronger compliance posture, avoiding fines or penalties.
Increased confidence from clients, patients, or stakeholders that services meet current quality expectations.
Professional credibility and career opportunities
Goals
Strengthen individual reputation by proving ongoing competence.
Support career progression by keeping certifications active and relevant.
Provide employers with evidence of employee expertise for partnerships, tenders, or client trust.
Benefits
Enhanced employability and competitive edge in the job market.
Recognition as a subject matter expert within one’s field.
Access to new career paths or promotions that require current certifications.
Safety and mitigates legal and operational risks
Goals
Minimize accidents, errors, or failures caused by lack of updated skills.
Ensure compliance with legal safety requirements.
Foster a culture of responsibility and prevention within organizations.
Benefits
Lower incidence of workplace accidents and liability claims.
Reduced insurance premiums or compliance costs.
Protection of employees, customers, and the broader public from harm.
Support of lifelong learning and adaptability in dynamic industries
Goals
Encourage continuous professional development beyond initial certification.
Build resilience against industry disruption and rapid change.
Strengthen employees’ ability to adopt new tools, methods, and innovations.
Benefits
Increased employee engagement and motivation through structured learning.
Greater organizational agility when adapting to new technologies or regulations.
Long-term retention of skilled employees who feel invested in their growth.
Use Cases
Use Case 1: A nurse renewing her CPR certification to ensure patient safety.
Context: A registered nurse in a hospital must renew their Basic Life Support (BLS) certification every two years.
Reason: The American Heart Association and similar bodies frequently update resuscitation protocols, such as compression-to-breath ratios or AED (Automated External Defibrillator) usage.
Impact: Without an active certification, the nurse may not be allowed to work in critical care or emergency settings.
Benefit: Ensures patients receive care that reflects the latest evidence-based practices, reducing the risk of errors during life-threatening situations.
User Case 2: An IT professional revalidating their AWS certification to stay competitive in the cloud market.
Context: A cloud engineer certified in AWS Solutions Architect – Associate must renew every three years.
Reason: AWS continuously updates its services, adds new tools, and retires outdated features.
Impact: Employers often require current certification to bid for projects or maintain partnership status with AWS.
Benefit: The professional remains competitive in the job market and is equipped with the latest technical knowledge to design secure, scalable cloud solutions.
Use Case 3: A construction worker completing annual safety training to comply with regulatory requirements.
Context: A machine operator in a factory must undergo Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recertification yearly.
Reason: Regulations evolve, and workers need reminders about protective equipment, machine operation, and emergency evacuation.
Impact: Non-compliance could result in fines for the employer or accidents leading to liability.
Benefit: Reduces workplace incidents, ensures insurance compliance, and fosters a culture of safety.
Use Case 4: A financial advisor completing mandatory anti-money laundering recertification to maintain their license.
Context: A financial advisor must complete Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) recertification every two years.
Reason: Regulations from bodies such as the EU, BaFin (The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority), or FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) change regularly to combat new fraud schemes.
Impact: Without up-to-date training, the advisor risks personal penalties, and the company may face heavy fines.
Benefit: Protects both the firm and its clients, while maintaining credibility and trust with regulators.
Re-Certification Process
Re-certification is an extension of automatic enrolment and only works for course templates.
Thereby the following options can be defined during process setup:
Which participants need to be re-certified can be determined by the rules in the target groups.
The interval period between re-certifications can be freely determined.
The compulsory course to be repeated may consist of the same or new learning content.
If the course is completed, a competence or certificate can be assigned to it.
This is mapped in the imc Learning Suite as follows:
Creation of e.g. a target group that uses rules to define the participants who are supposed to take part in the re-certification.
Creation of a course template that serves as the basis for the re-certification.
Creation of a first course based on the course template (automatic or manual).
Creation of an automatic enrolment rule on the course template for the created target group.
Execution of the automatic enrolment through the nightly, automated job execution. In exceptional cases, the job can also be executed manually.
Automatic or manual course creation by using the course template to which participants are enrolled based on the re-certification settings.
The following diagram describes the steps of setting up an automatic enrolment and a re-certification cycle. An example for the setup can be found in the chapter “Example process setup”.
Re-certification process