Certification Programs

Non-credit certification programs are created to allow you to demonstrate a particular proficiency in a given discipline. Frequently, certification programs are sponsored by professional organizations or industry associations as a means of raising standards in a given body of work through the "certification" of knowledge and/or skills that an individual has attained.

You will find a significant portfolio of certification programs offered by HCC in the categories shown below. Click on any category fro further information on teh programs available for you to kick start or continue to grow your career.

Certification Icon› Business & Office Certifications

Working in an office setting is not what it used to be! Whether it's a medical office, accounting department, or any other business setting, a certification will emphasize your qualifications an highlight 21st Century skills.

Certification Icon› Healthcare Certifications

With the benefit of small class sizes and highly-qualified instructors, you will learn the various aspects of the healthcare industry, from the frontlines of direct patient care to the behind-the-desk administrative office tasks.

Certification Icon› Hospitality Certifications

From a bartender to a restaurant server, with these certifications, you will learn the direct operations skills necessary for working in this fast-paced, customer-service driven industry.

Certification Icon› Real Estate Certifications

Are you tired of the typical 9 to 5 work day? Spend time away from the desk, and jumpstart a new, exciting career as a Real Estate Agent with this certification! When you enter the real estate profession, you’ll enjoy the freedom and flexibility of setting your own pace.

Certification Icon› Sports & Fitness Certifications

Gain vital fitness knowledge to help others lose the weight. Becoming a personal trainer means helping clients reach their fullest physical potential, accomplish their fitness goals, and maintain a healthier lifestyle. Become a trainer, and watch the transformation!


About Certification Programs

As Phillip A. Barnhart states in his book, National Professional Certification Programs, (second edition):
“Work and organizational changes in the past several years have forced organizations to reinvent themselves and individuals to reeducate themselves.    No company or employee can escape today’s workplace challenges:

  • The shifts in traditional hiring and promotion practices;                                                  
  • The increasingly specialized workplace and mobile workforce;                                              
  • The rise of new job positions essential for success; and                                                             
  • The decline or revision of once-secure positions. 

To adapt, you may find it helpful or even necessary to earn certification in a given area of expertise. 
Currently, 3 major trends are influencing the importance of becoming certified (and this is the case whether or not you have earned a degree).

  • By utilizing job-related expertise, certification reflects and an individual’s ability to perform to an accepted standard. 
  • Holding a certification provides a form of endorsement of skills both those shown on your resume as well as those not necessarily apparent through another means.
  • Certification represents your commitment to staying current in a particular discipline, sometimes termed ongoing professional development.

The growth of certification programs is also a reaction to the changing employment market. Certifications are portable, since they do not depend on one company's definition of a certain job. Certification stands out on a resume as a form of professional reference by being an impartial, third-party endorsement of an individual's professional knowledge and experience.
Most certification programs are created, sponsored, or affiliated with professional associations, trade organizations, or certain vendors interested in raising the standards of their workforce.  Most certification programs offered by HCC carry the endorsement of such organizations, or are recognized at the state or national levels as signifying your attainment of a minimum level of performance and/or knowledge.