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IPC Certification Programme - Process and Levels

Building IPC Capacity through Knowledge, Practice and Professional Standards

The IPC Certification Programme aims at qualifying IPC practitioners professionally. It is relevant for food security experts who are or want to be involved in IPC activities at global, regional and country levels.

The IPC Certification Process is designed to ensure that applicants acquire and prove:

  • Understanding and knowledge of IPC technical standards, protocols, and guidelines;
  • Skills to apply the IPC approach and engage in IPC Analysis; and
  • Relevant level of capacity and experience to lead IPC Trainings and Analyses.

There are three IPC certificates and related credentials:

  1. “Level 1 Certificate (IPC Analysts)” that certifies an individual to use the IPC tools and procedures professionally;
  2. “Level 2 Certificate (IPC Advanced Analyst and Co-Facilitator)” which allows an individual to act as resource persons to support IPC Level 1 Trainings and Country Analysis Workshops, by facilitating small-groups works; and
  3. “Level 3 Certificate (IPC Lead Trainer and Analysis Facilitator)” which allows individuals to act as IPC global experts who can lead IPC training and analysis facilitation across countries and regions.
    All Level 3-certified individuals or candidates on the way to Level 3 certification will become members of the IPC L3 Community of Practitioners to be able to communicate directly with other practitioners, request support and benefit from trainings and other events.

Each level of certification includes specific requirements, what the certification qualifies the person to do, and the process for certification registration. Levels 1 and 3 are available for all three IPC scales (Acute Food Insecurity, Chronic Food Insecurity and Acute Malnutrition), while Level 2 is currently only available for the Acute Food Insecurity scale.

IPC Certification: from version 2 to version 3

To ensure the continued availability and capacity of IPC practitioners to support global IPC analysis across all three scales: Acute Food Insecurity (AFI scale), Acute Malnutrition (AMN scale), and Chronic Food Insecurity (CFI scale), the IPC Global Support Unit (IPC GSU) has updated the IPC Certification process from version two (v2.0) to version three (v3.0). The main changes are the creation of new Level 3 IPC practitioners.

Level 3 certified practitioners can lead IPC analyses and trainings, and are responsible for all phases of implementation, from preparation to publication. L3 certified practitioners ensure the adherence to protocols, the technical integrity and the neutrality of IPC analyses. Beyond the technical expertise that will be expected of IPC Level 1 and Level 2 practitioners, Level 3 practitioners will be trained and expected to demonstrate good facilitation and negotiation skills. IPC Level 3 certified practitioners will belong to a roster and – upon their supervisor’s approval - can be asked to lead IPC trainings and analyses in any country or region in which the IPC is active. The candidature to IPC Level 3 certification follows a special process and demands special commitment also in terms of participation to learning events to follow up on IPC technical developments. It is important to note that starting from January 2020, IPC Training and Analysis will have to be led by IPC Level 3 Lead facilitators.

It is important to note that for those that are already certified in IPC v2.0, 2019 will be considered a transition phase from v2.0 to v3.0. Nobody already certified will lose his or her certification, but everybody will be required to attend a face-to-face Level 1 training and also pass the online IPC v3.0 Level 1 online test to remain a certified IPC practitioner beyond 2019. The Level 1 online test will cover the main changes in the IPC Technical Manual from v2.0 to v3.0, and allow all existing IPC practitioners to be certified as IPC v3.0 practitioners. 

It is highly recommended (but not mandatory) for AFI Level 2 certified practitioners in v2.0 and aspiring Level 2 candidates who have already attended a Level 2 training in v2.0 to attend a level 2 training in v3.0. 

IPC Cross-Country Learning Exchange

In the framework of the Certification Programme, the IPC Global Support Unit has implemented the Cross-Country Learning Exchange Programme (CCLE). This aims at facilitating the IPC Certification process, allowing food security experts who are engaged in IPC activities to meet the requirements and be certified as IPC Advanced Analysts and Co-Facilitators (IPC Level 2) or as IPC Lead Trainers and Analysis Facilitators (IPC Level 3). Moreover, these cross-country fertilization experiences will allow IPC practitioners to compare procedures, learn and share country practices through participation in IPC analysis and lessons-learnt workshops, and gather cross-border information. Participation to the CCLE programme is a requisite to obtain IPC L3 certification.

IPC Level 3 Community of Practitioners

Download the brochure

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Level 3 Community of Practitioners (CoP) is a community of practitioners certified at Level 3 of the IPC Certification Programme – the highest level of IPC certification available.  It is a forum for L3 practitioners to interact directly and collectively.  By joining the CoP platform, practitioners will have the opportunity to:

  • Collaborate or request support from the IPC Global Support Unit (GSU) or other L3 colleagues
  • Participate in GSU webinars specifically tailored to L3s
  • Receive invitations to external events

The platform is hosted on Microsoft Teams. To request to join the platform, please email [email protected]

Download the brochure

To see the Certification Programme privacy policy, please click here.

How to

ONLINE ACTIVITIES

To pass the e-tests and to complete the IPC Acute Food Insecurity e-Learning course, please visit: https://learning.ipcinfo.org/

COUNTRY-BASED ACTIVITIES

To attend IPC trainings and participate in IPC analyses, please contact the IPC Technical Working Group (TWG) in your country or the IPC GSU Regional Team in your region.

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