Over the last 20 years, top certification bodies have advocated accredited university courses and assessment.  The new focus has been particularly on skills specialization.  When students specialize, they become proficient in an area of business.  The White House and President Trump have now officially prioritized skills learning. The Federal Government says, “President Trump is signing an Executive Order requiring Federal agencies to focus hiring on the skills job seekers possess, rather than focusing on whether they earned a college degree.”

Creating certification programs that have a business or skill specialization is very  important.  In this way, you can have a student take 3-10 courses, and earn a certificate from an accredited university. Then, the qualified student can apply to earn a designation or certification from a professional certification body.

In 2020, we see that there are several large education companies that are offering hundreds of thousands of courses and also offering thousands of course attendance certificates.   These days,  edX, FutureLearn, Udacity, Coursera and Udemy are all offering thousands of courses and certificates from their websites.  These organizations such as edX and Coursera are not degree granting bodies, but rather they host courses by top schools such as Harvard, Yale, and other schools such as DUKE and University of Colorado.

Counselor George Mentz of the GAFM says, “Many students take the courses and exams with the intention of becoming educationally qualified for professional designations, licenses, and certifications from the GAFM or from similar certification bodies such as the CFP Board, The PM Project Management Board,  or CFA Institute.”  Mentz says, “The goal of our certifying body is to use the highest standards and recognize accredited courses and assessments as a pathway to certification, skills certification, and professional credentials.”

The GAFM offers several globally famous certifications to people who take qualifying courses, assessments and exams at accredited institutions. Here are a few:

1. ChFM Chartered Financial Manager ®
2. CWM Chartered Wealth Manager ®
3. MPM Master Project Manager ®
4. CHR Certified in Human Resources ®
5. CHFP/Certified FinTech Professional ®
6. CPM Chartered Portfolio Manager ®
7. CRA Certified Risk Analyst
8. CMA Certified Marketing Analyst ®

Under the criteria of the Global Academy of Finance and Management, applicants must meet the requirements of: Education, Assessment, Degree, Ethics and Continuing Education.  Graduates of online programs and MOOC programs can apply online for certification and specialization credentials at  www.GAFM.com  Graduates and applicants should go to the website to apply for qualifications.

The Wall Street Journal published a story and quoted George Mentz in 2004 and specifically itemized the courses and assessments required to earn certifications from the AAFM or GAFM Academy of Finance and Management.  The GAFM is accredited by the TUV and ISO Certified 21001 as an Educational Body.  Even MSNBC aired a national TV special documenting the Accreditation and ISO Certifications of GAFM on their national NBC television show.  

The Global Academy of Finance and Management is ESQ European Accredited and ISO 9001 Certified for Quality and ISO 21001 and ISO 29990 Certified for Training Educational Standards.  Approved Sanctioned by the Arab Academy for over 20 Arab Nations.  In academic alliance with the ACBSP National Business Accreditation Agency for Certification Standards worldwide.  The GAFM ® Board of Standards is a founding member of the quality assurance standards memorandum of the CHEA International Quality Group.