BCI Also Launches New Five-Day Training Course for Business Continuity Professionals
The Business Continuity Institute (BCI), a leader in setting and validating standards of professional competence and ethics in business continuity management, today announced the start of its first quarterly BCI Certificate exam opportunities as well as new five-day training courses for business continuity professionals worldwide.
Based on its Good Practice Guidelines, the BCI Certificate exam is part of a rigorous process for business continuity professionals who wish to acquire one of three BCI credential grades – Associate, Specialist and Member.
The BCI certificate exam is available Monday through Friday throughout the month of October at dozens of testing centers throughout North America and centers in London, Melbourne, Australia and Hong Kong. The BCI Certificate exam will only be made available one month out of each quarter during the year. The next exam opportunities will be available in January 2008.
This month BCI also launches its five-day live training courses for business continuity professionals. Like the previously announced BCI e-learning program, the classroom-based training is based on the six elements of the Good Practice Guidelines, developed by BCI and which incorporate the British Standard BS25999 on managing business continuity. (Phase 2 of BS25999 is being unveiled Oct. 30 at events in London, New York and Tokyo.)
In addition, the BCI Certificate program helps meet the objectives of the recently established HR 1 Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (U.S. public law No. 110-53). HR 1 requires the formation of private sector advisory councils to support business disaster and continuity preparedness standards and to develop a program to certify the preparedness of businesses.
The initial five-day BCI classroom training course schedule in North America is as follows:
Washington, D.C., Oct. 15-10
Toronto, Canada, Oct. 29-Nov. 2
Chicago, Illinois, Nov. 5-9
Santa Ana, California, Nov. 12-16
San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 26-30
Washington, D.C., Dec. 3-7
“The BCI Certificate program was created to validate the knowledge and expertise of business continuity professionals all over the world so they can be trusted to sustain organizations through man-made and natural disasters large and small,” said Lorraine Darke, BCI’s Membership Director. “The five-day training courses were added in response to demand from professionals who prefer the in-class experience with an instructor present.”
Prices for BCI exams are 170 Pounds or 250 Euros or $350 US dollars. Prices for the five-day training courses vary depending on local training providers. Details of scheduled courses can be found at BCI Training Courses.
Two different pass rates are set for the BCI Certificate exam: a lower rate for less experienced practitioners seeking Associate BCI membership (ABCI), and a higher rate for those wishing to become a Specialist BCI (SBCI) or a Member BCI (MBCI). In addition to passing the exam, all applicants for the more senior SBCI and MBCI grades must provide evidence of practical experience within business continuity management via the BCI scored assessment methodology.
For more information, visit http://www.thebcicertificate.org/ or call the BCI Americas regional office in Vienna, Va. at p. 703-891-6781.
About Business Continuity Institute (BCI)
Based in Caversham, United Kingdom, The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) was established in 1994 to “promote the art and science of business continuity management” to assist organizations in preparing for and surviving minor and large-scale man-made and natural disasters. The group enables members to obtain guidance and support from their fellow practitioners, as well as offers professional training and certification programs to disseminate and validate the highest standards of competence and ethics. It has more than 4,000 members worldwide in more than 85 countries. For more information, visit http://www.thebci.org.