A Career Boost Via Outsourcing?

A new certification is being offered for professionals who help their companies outsource various business processes, reports Myra Thomas.

The Certified Outsourcing Professional (COP) designation is awarded by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals, based on experience credits for outsourcing work already engaged in, plus study credits for related classroom or online course work.

Previous coverage of outsourcing on JobsintheMoney, as in most of the media, has focused on the threat that a reader’s own work could be outsourced. But with outsourcing as ubiquitous as it is, many management accountants inevitably are involved with it from the other side of the table, managing and documenting the process.

As more corporations consider business-process outsourcing, professionals involved in related decision-making - including management accountants - are seeking to establish ways to recognize their expertise and build on their skills sets.

Today's accountant is more than a number cruncher. As professionals in the field assume operational roles inside of corporations, their duties often grow to encompass tasks related to assessing the cost structure of outsourcing a project, division, or function.
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Chris Disher, a management consultant and certified management accountant, was among the first round of individuals to receive the COP designation. As business gets further involved in outsourcing, he notes, being recognized as an authority on the subject is a useful and valuable thing for accountants assuming a corporate role. "It's also a wonderful way to get the big picture on the process," Disher adds. "The certification helped to teach me about the entire scope of the outsourcing issue and the problems, as well."

The IAOP says it has certified about 50 individuals thus far, and about 100 more are in the application process.

CPAs Weigh Outsourcing Certification [JITM]