Volunteer for the 2018
Practice Analysis Task Force

Thank you to those of you who recently submitted an InFRE volunteer application form. Many of you have indicated an interest in volunteering but have questions regarding the time commitment and responsibilities related to serving on the various subcommittees.  This article in the most recent issue of Retirement InSights and Trends provides additional information about subcommittees and will hopefully answer most of your questions.

As a reminder, the Board of Standards and Policy Development (BOS), the policy-making and oversight body of Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®) Certification, is currently accepting applications for individuals interested in serving on the BOS or one of the standing subcommittees. We have extended the deadline to submit applications until November 30th.

In particular at this time, we are asking for volunteers to help conduct the 2018 Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®) Practice Analysis (Practice Analysis). Keeping the Practice Analysis up-to-date is critically important to maintaining a credible CRC® exam and to meet National Commission for Certifying Agencies accreditation standards.

During the first quarter of 2018, InFRE will be forming a team of 10-12 CRCs to serve on the Practice Analysis Task Force (PATF). The PATF will make recommendations for updates and changes to the CRC® Test Specification based on current trends and gaps that may not have been addressed in the 2013 Practice Analysis study.   

The focus of the PATF will be to identify:

• Changes in the practice of retirement education since the completion of the previous practice analysis study;
• Reflections concerning future directions in practice;
• Areas missing from the delineation of domains, tasks, and knowledge; and
• Any knowledge essential to the delivery of services that was not identified in the previous job analysis study.

Results of the Practice Analysis will be documented in a technical report, submitted to the InFRE Board of Standards for review, and published as an examination guideline for future CRC® candidates.  The key to a successful Practice Analysis study of the retirement industry is having experienced and thoughtful participants on the PATF from the CRC® certificant community.  PATF volunteers will receive ten hours of CRC® continuing education credit and a waiver on the annual CRC® renewal fees for two years.  

If you are interested in volunteering for the PATF or other standing subcommittees, please download and complete the electronic InFRE Volunteer Application Form or fax the completed form to 847-756-7350 on or before November 30, 2017.

The InFRE BOS benefits greatly from the contributions of professionals and other stakeholders, and there are many opportunities for CRC® Certificants to become involved with furthering the work of InFRE in meaningful and rewarding ways.

If you have any questions about InFRE volunteer opportunities, email Kirsten Smith at ksmith@infre.org.