Association of Accredited Public Policy Advocates to the European Union - AALEP

AALEP LAUNCHES CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PROVIDER OF THE YEAR AWARD

christian — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 14:15:32 +0000

European Public Affairs Awards (EPA Awards) as they are called are plentiful in Brussels. It’s almost like Hollywood! These Awards aim to unite the Public Affairs community to celebrate excellence and best practices across the industry. They distinguish 8 categories: 1. Campaign of the Year 2. Consultancy of the Year 3. Digital/social Media Champion 4. Public Affairs professional of the year 5. In-House team of the Year 6. NGO of the Year 7. Rising Star of the Year 8. Trade Association/Professional body of the Year.

These EPAs are sponsored by Brussels PA consultancies e.g. APCO Worldwide, Cambre Associates, Eamonn Bates, Edelman, Fleishman Hillard, FTI Consulting, Kellen and their associations such as EPACA and SEAP. Critics say that such awards are primarily self-congratulatory, 'feel good exercises' which have limited market value and all but zero influence on the top decision-makers.

Our only concern is that none of the current categories of Public Affairs Awards consider what should be the foundation of any profession ‘Education and Training’. Just as professionals in medicine, architecture, and law, it is AALEP's strong belief that appropriately educated, adequately trained, continually learning professionals are (should be) a requirement for the effective and efficient practice of Government Relations.

The AALEP Continuing Professional Education Provider of the Year Award is to recognize and honour exceptional skills in the delivery and implementation of a professional development programme in Government Relations, delivered for the first time within the previous calendar year and worldwide in scope. This Award may be given to a corporate/government/ association, individual/business, and/or an academic institution that is responsible for delivery of the programme.

3 Categories

Corporate/Government/Association Provider: In-house training departments that deliver appropriate professional development programmes focused on Government Relations to their own employees/members.
Individual/Business Provider: Sole proprietors and organizations that are recognized as legal entities that charge a fee for the delivery of Government Relations professional development programme. This includes for-profit training and development consultants and businesses.
Academic Professional Development Provider: Academic providers that charge a fee for Government Relations professional development training that is separate from their formal degree-granting education curriculum.

Number of Awards

• Only one AALEP Continuing Professional Education Provider of the Year Award may be given annually in each of the award categories defined above.

• AALEP reserves the right not to select a recipient for a particular year for any category or all categories if the evaluations performed indicate that nominations do not meet the stated criteria.

5 Criteria

The nominated Continuing Professional Education Provider shall have demonstrated a significant positive impact on its trainees/students and shall have met the following criteria:

Criterion 1: The nominee(s) selected and implemented instruction and related professional development materials that reflect the current state of professional practice as the learning relates to real life learning experience.

Criterion 2: The nominee(s) used a professional development framework consisting of a structured programme development and delivery process that encourages student learning.

Criterion 3: The nominee(s) used post-activity evaluation to improve programme content consistent with defined learning outcomes.

Criterion 4: The nominee(s) conducted a structured needs assessment to determine specific learning requirements.

Criterion 5: The nominee(s) displayed a commitment to quality delivery of professional development for Government Relations.

Nomination Package Content

The nomination package must contain the following:

• A document of no more than five pages, that must include the following:

• Category for which the nomination is being considered including the date the nominated GR training/instruction program was delivered.

• Statement of how each of the criteria were clearly met or exceeded

• Description of how the continuing professional education provider has demonstrated a significant positive impact on its trainees/students

• The supporting document(s) of no more than ten pages must include the following:

• Documentation providing evidence of the results of the structured needs assessment

• Documentation supporting summary information from post-activity evaluations

• Documentation summarizing the quality performance of the provider (e.g., letter(s) of recommendation, testimonial(s))

Presentation of the Award

• The AALEP Continuing Professional Education Provider Award will be presented at a specified AALEP event.

• The award recipient will be publicized through AALEP communication channels and external media after the presentation of the award. A recipient may also coordinate additional publicity with AALEP after the presentation of the award.

Who selects winners?

AALEP will establish Panels of global volunteer evaluators who are experienced GR practitioners that have successfully demonstrated expertise in the field of GR.

Entry Processing Fees

An Entry Processing Fee of € € 250 is levied on each submission. Where an identical entry is submitted to two separate categories, the second and subsequent entries are reduced to € 150. Late entries are permitted but will incur an additional late entry fee of € 200 providing they reach AALEP no later than seven days after the close of nominations.

The "Call for Nominations" begins 1 November and the submission deadline for all nominations is 1 April each year.

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Continuing Education Provider

Award

AALEP DEFINITION OF THE PRACTICE OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS (GR)

christian — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 11:20:10 +0000

Government Relations (GR) is the process of influencing public and government policy at all levels: Local, Regional, National, European, Global. It involves the advocacy of an interest that is affected, actually or potentially, by the decisions of government leaders.

At its core, GR is an educational process mixed in with a liberal amount of advocacy.

Educating business and industry leaders about the governmental process;
Educating officials about the issues important to business or other constituencies; and
Educating governmental and business leaders, and the public, about the potential consequences of legislation.

Law has an impact on business, but business professionals do not always comprehend the difficulties of running a country and politicians do not always understand the complexities of running a business, so educating both about the potential effect legislation could have on an industry is an essential part of the law-making process. Without an understanding of the law-making process, opportunities to shape the outcome of legislation that affects a given business can be missed. GR Practitioners educate clients about the law-making process and identify and monitor important issues – issues that affect their business. Once these issues are identified, GR Practitioners offer advice on how to influence the underlying laws and public policy. And, when necessary, ensure that their client’s position is considered in the debate by lobbying public officials, staff, and/or the general public.

Ultimately, what GR Practitioners do is make the case for their business or their client’s business in the public policy arena.

The Practice of GR is comprehensive, encompassing the full range of GR services from direct lobbying to legislative development to regulatory affairs for businesses, trade associations, non-profits, educational institutions and industry.

A successful GR programme involves not just policy expertise but personal and political relationships with policymakers to help clients expedite issues, seize opportunities and prevent problems, present issues effectively to both officials and the public, gain support for clients’ positions, build winning coalitions, and obtain results that matter.

The Practice of GR includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following activities. (ranked alphabetically)

Advocacy/Lobbying.
Advocating before National Parliaments, National Agencies and European Institutions, in particular European Commission, Council and European Parliament.
Ally Development (Identifying supporters and mobilizing key contacts; Organizing advocacy programmes involving employees, retirees, customers, stockholders, members, vendors, and other constituencies).
Analyzing specific business and other strategic objectives.
Anticipating and countering the campaigns and messages put forth by opponents, competitors, and the media.
Assessing the environment and developing a strategic plan that clearly outlines the definition of success, as well as helping define clear goals and objectives for the campaign.
Building grassroots support and addressing cross-jurisdictional policy issues by working with local GR practitioners.
Coaching of employees, managers, and other individuals in matters relating to GR.
Coalition Building (Identifying, recruiting and coordinating groups sharing similar concerns to accomplish GR objectives).
Conducting of research in the area of GR.
Consultation in the area of GR.
Developing policy positions and providing strategic communications and issue management.
Developing strategies, crafting messages, and designing campaigns to help clients meet clearly defined objectives.
Development and implementation of GR resources policies and procedures.
Drafting legislation and amendments, monitoring, promoting and reporting on legislation.
Education and Training: (Creating and delivering presentations on a wide range of topics related to GR, including sessions on quality management, advocacy, grassroots, and current issues).
Establishing a feasible communications strategy, designing the message, and outlining the tactics and tracking it all within a realistic timeframe.
Evaluating and managing political risks.
Government procurement.
Government Relations (Providing a full range of lobbying and advocacy services; coordinating international, European, national, and state activities on a given issue and ensuring that clients efforts on all these levels work together to promote their goals).
Identify emerging issues and the potential impact on clients.
Intelligence gathering.
Issues management (Assisting clients to identify issues, clarifying their GR goals, developing effective strategies and executing these initiatives; Monitoring, analysis, and forecasting, as well as strategic planning).
Lobbying (Legislative and regulatory).
Media relations.
Mobilizing grassroots involvement.
Monitoring legislative, regulatory issues on the national and EU level.
Policy analysis and advocacy.
Programme assessment (Evaluating the effectiveness of GR programmes through audits, benchmarking and total quality management techniques).
Programme development and evaluation in the area of GR.
Promoting interests before government departments, agencies and legislative bodies, in the diplomatic community and in broader policy arenas.
Providing ad hoc coalition building for intense short-term, single-focus issues.
Providing advice to clients, managers, and employees in matters pertaining to GR.
Public/private partnerships.
Regulatory and policy monitoring and analysis.
Relationship building.
Reviewing and analyzing legislation and regulations.
Staff Development (Providing counsel on GR issues for new and experienced GR staff; Developing training and orientation programmes clients need in the GR area for new staff or provide a sounding board for experienced managers).
Strategic GR planning and implementation.
Strategy development: (Assisting clients define and implement their international objectives, assisting associations or companies in finding the optimal approach to global expansion of services, membership or products).
Teaching in the area of GR.
Undertaking research and policy analysis, drafting or delivering testimony, and preparing and distributing formal and informal advocacy materials

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AALEP

Definition of the Practice of GR

AALEP NON-STATUTORY PROFESSIONAL REGULATION OF GR

christian — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 16:20:24 +0000

AALEP is dedicated to

a. to promote and protect the public interest by governing and regulating the practice of GR professionals members of the Association including

Establishing, maintaining, developing and enforcing standards of qualifications,
Establishing, maintaining, developing and enforcing standards of practice,
Establishing, maintaining, developing, and enforcing standards of professional ethics
Establishing, maintaining, developing and enforcing standards of knowledge, skill and proficiency
Regulating the practice, competence and professional conduct of members of the Association and firmsto promote and increase the knowledge, skill and proficiency of members of the Association, firms and students

b. to promote and protect the welfare and interests of the Association and of the government relations profession

c. to promote inter-professional collaboration with other professional bodies

d. to provide for the development or approval of continuing education and professional development programmes for members of the Association and requiring members to success-fully complete or participate in such programmes, and the provision of professional development and related services to members and to non-members.

e. To address other matter that relates to the regulation of its members that the Board considers appropriate

Definitions

Standard: A standard is an authoritative statement that sets out the professional basis of GR practice. Standards represent performance criteria for GR professionals and can interpret the GR’s scope of practice. Standards can be used to stimulate peer feedback, encourage research to validate practice and generate research questions that lead to improvement in GR services . Finally, standards aid in developing a better understanding and respect for the various and complementary roles that GR professionals have.

Standards of Practice: Mandatory standards that all members must follow.

Code of ethics: Sets out the principles that guide member conduct.

Rules of professional conduct: Define member behaviours, that are specifically prescribed or proscribed. Set out the duties of GR toward employer or clients, employees, other professionals, the profession, and the public.

Practice Guidelines: Recommended or suggested practices that members are expected to consider but may not follow depending on the circumstances.

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Regulation of GR

AALEP IS NUMBER ONE IN GR CONTINUING EDUCATION

christian — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 15:06:57 +0000

At its best, lobbying provides critical services to organizations and clients and critical client information to public office holders. Those services include acting as a strategic resource by researching regulatory or policy changes, understanding the government’s policy agenda, determining who the decision makers will be on any given matter, developing positive relationships with the media, communication planning, mobilizing grass roots, coaching and mentoring, setting up and attending meetings, outlining unintended consequences of existing and planned policies, and sustaining communication momentum.

AALEP has developed a Catalogue of over 100 Courses related to Government Relations. Courses fall in each of the following areas of practice:

DIRECT LOBBYING
GRASSROOTS
FUNDRAISING AND EFFECTIVELY MANAGING THE MONEY
COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA
ISSUE MANAGEMENT
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING (LEGISLATIVE, REGULATORY, COALITIONS)

Each course addresses 3 distinct Knowledge Levels: Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced

Each course states the Learning Objectives or Learning Outcomes that clearly describe what the Learner will know or be able to do as a result of having attended and completed the course.

Evaluation (or Learning Assessment) is based on the stated Learning Objectives of each course

For further information, please contact the AALEP Secretariat.

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AALEP

Continuing education

AALEP PROVISION OF EDUCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

christian — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 13:08:47 +0000

The document here below is designed to elaborate upon, interpret and operationally define the AALEP Standards and Criteria for providing Continuing Education (CE) to GR professionals.

Keeping in mind that CE programmes may be offered to professionals across a range of disciplines and sectors, the goal of a CE programme must specifically address the learning needs of GR professionals. Education and Training Providers (ETPs) (thereafter 'Providers') must have a goals statement that reflects the type and nature of their CE offerings and target audience e.g. Consultant GR professional, In-house Company GR professional, Business and Professional Organization GR professional, Non-Government Organization (Non-Profit) GR professional, or Government Agency GR professional.

GR professionals must have input in all phases of the decision-making and programme-planning process for the activities offered to GR professionals for CE credit. This can be achieved in a variety of ways, including involvement by GR professionals, communities, GR associations, advisory boards etc. in order to provide feedback regarding programme planning and areas where a conflict of interest might occur (e.g., resolution of participant complaints). Involvement must be on an active and on-going basis. It is the Provider’s responsibility to maintain a continuing awareness of the policies and procedures of AALEP Provider Approval System (APAS). This includes, but is not limited to, having a copy of the most recent submissions to APAS (application, status report, etc.), being aware of report and fee submission deadlines, and keeping APAS aware of any changes in contact information so that we may inform Providers of these deadlines in a timely manner.

Providers must have a clearly designated administrator of the programme, although it is not required that this individual be a GR professional . Examples of possible areas of concern as it relates to confidentiality include materials kept in offices, information and materials imparted during programmes, etc. Providers are required to have written procedures for dealing with participant complaints. While these procedures need not be elaborate, they must clearly indicate the steps that will be taken to resolve complaints, and these procedures must be available in written format for anyone who requests them. In order to make available high-quality CE programmes to as many GR professionals as possible, Providers are encouraged to jointly collaborate with other organizations as appropriate. “Joint collaboration” should be understood as the mutual planning of an activity by two or more organizations. Regardless of the level of involvement of the Provider, however, it is ultimately the responsibility of the Approved Provider to ensure that all the Standards of APAS are met. Any degree of joint collaboration does not, in any way, absolve the Provider of its responsibilities as an Approved Provider.

Every programme offered for CE credit must have predetermined learning objectives. Rather than a description of topics to be covered, learning objectives should clearly define what the participant will know or be able to do as a result of having attended the programme, and these objectives must be stated in measurable terms. As a guideline, there should be three to four objectives for a four hour programme; five to six objectives for a seven to eight hour programme, etc. CE activities can be delivered via numerous methods which include, but are not limited to: workshops, seminars, conferences, conventions, lectures, books, videotapes, audiotapes, CD-ROMs, and web-based activities. All CE activities, regardless of the delivery method, must adhere to the Standards of APAS. Although it is not required that instructors be GR professionals, they must have expertise and be competent in the areas in which they teach. Expertise might be demonstrated by some combination of the following: relevant educational experience such as holding an advanced degree in political science, review of records of previous teaching experiences, years of experience, publications in areas relevant to the content being taught, evaluation forms from previously offered programmes, personal knowledge of the instructor’s teaching ability, and references.

Acceptable programmes must adhere to the definition of Continuing Education in that they improve service to the clients or employers and the general public and enhance contributions to the profession. Determination of eligibility is not made on the basis of topic alone.

Because GR professionals work in a variety of professional settings, Providers are encouraged to offer a wide range of topics that can meet the diverse CE needs of GR professionals. AALEP encourages innovative programmes, assuming that the Standard pertaining to content is met.

Content related to the professional practice of GR, business of practice, education, administration, conducting research, or career management programmes should be carefully considered to determine whether or not the content of the programmes can be deemed appropriate CE content for GR professionals.

The responsibility is on the applicant to adequately establish the bridge between programme content and the elements of the criteria. The more distant a topic appears from core disciplinary knowledge, the greater the responsibility of the Provider to demonstrate the connection to improvement of services to the clients or employers and contributions to the profession. Appropriate content should be conveyed in programme titles, learning objectives, and promotional materials.

Providers ensure that instructors provide a sufficient basis for the interpretation of programme information by informing participants of limitations of the content being taught, including contradictory evidence and its source. Potential conflict of interest, commercial support, or commercial interest applies to Provider organizations, the presenter, and the content of the presentation. Providers should advise participants of the potential biases inherent in accepting inducements that might affect the selection of texts, the use of particular tests, and/or sponsorship of CE courses.

Providers are required to provide information that demonstrates their adherence to AALEP Standard pertaining to curriculum content. In the normal course of programme preparation, instructors should be able to provide information that demonstrates compliance with the standard. Providers could address this in some combination of the programme learning objectives, participants’ evaluation of content, citations to research references, or a clause in a contract with instructors.

At a minimum, satisfaction evaluations should include assessment of the instructor’s level of knowledge and expertise, and teaching ability. Activities longer than one hour may be broken into quarter hour increments. Effective satisfaction evaluations should provide feedback that is useful both to the Provider and the instructor(s) for the purpose of planning and improving future programmes. All programmes, regardless of delivery method, require an assessment of participant learning. This assessment can be achieved in a variety of ways, and the method used should vary depending on the particular delivery method. Some ways of assessing learning include a question on the evaluation form regarding how much the participant has learned, post-tests, informal discussions between instructor(s) and participants, question and answer sessions at the end of a programme, etc. Providers must be prepared to document the method being used. CE programmes that are not conducted in person require a different process for evaluating the effectiveness of the programme. For these types of programmes (e.g., books, audiotapes, videotapes, CD-ROMS, online [non-real time].), Providers are required to assess achieved learning. This test must be of sufficient depth to adequately determine the level of learning that was achieved. There must also be a specified criterion for successful completion of the programme (e.g., passing grade). For programmes that use essays to determine achieved learning, a grading grid must be provided. For programmes where credit is offered on a session-by-session basis (e.g., conferences, convention,), each session must be evaluated separately.

CE programmes must be at least one hour in length. Activities longer than one hour may be broken into quarter hour increments. Credit is awarded only for actual instructional time. For programmes where instructional time is difficult to calculate (e.g., books, CD-ROMS, online), Providers must have a method for determining the number of credits to offer and a rationale for this method. Providers are strongly encouraged to utilize field-testing when determining credits for these types of programmes. For programmes that require a test of achieved learning, the specified passing criterion must be met before credit may be awarded. Variable credit for partial attendance may not be awarded. For programmes that involve a variety of sessions (e.g., conferences, conventions), credit should be awarded on a session-by-session basis. Each individual session for which credit is awarded must meet the Standards of APAS, e.g., each session must have its own stated learning objectives, each session must be evaluated separately. Providers must have a system for determining which sessions were attended (e.g., sign-in sheet, credit log). Full attendance is required for all CE activities, and Providers must have a method for ensuring full attendance (sign-in/sign-out sheets, room monitors.). APAS is aware that individuals will, on occasion, arrive late or leave early from a CE programme. Providers should, within reason, evaluate each situation on a case-by-case basis when considering full attendance and the awarding of credit.

Although specific information must be available to potential participants prior to enrolment e.g. educational objectives, target audience, instruction level of activity (introductory, intermediate or advanced), schedule, costs, instructor credentials (relevant professional degree and discipline, current professional position, expertise in programme content), number of credits offered for each activity, APAS understands that it is sometimes not feasible to include all items in promotional materials. In cases where some information is not included in promotional pieces, the means of obtaining this information must be provided (e.g., phone number, web site, etc.). Multi-session, multi-disciplinary programmes will oftentimes contain some content that is not relevant to GR or is otherwise inappropriate as CE for GR professionals. In these cases, promotional and programme materials must clearly indicate which sessions are available to GR professionals for credit and which are not. AALEP Approval of Providers is at the organizational level, not at the level of individual or programmatic educational offerings. In the absence of any AALEP review process of programmes, Providers must not imply that AALEP has determined that their educational offerings meet specific AALEP education and training standards or guidelines. Providers must not use the term “AALEP-approved” (or any variation thereof) when referring to individual course or programmatic offerings or CE credit for GR professionals . CE credit for GR professionals is granted on a one credit per one contact hour basis.

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