Certification Paths

Three paths. One standard - Value Oriented.

Foundation and Leader develop the individual. Employer develops the organisation.

The Certification Pathway

Level 01

CORE Foundation

Individual pathway · No prerequisites

Level 02

CORE Leader

Individual pathway · Foundation required

Level 03

CORE Employer

Organisational route · No prerequisites

Three Certification Paths

What each path covers and what it develops.

Foundation is the starting point for individuals — no prerequisites, no prior knowledge of the framework required. Leader builds directly on Foundation and requires it as a prerequisite. CORE Employer is entirely standalone and covers the full CORE body of knowledge applied to the organisational context. An individual can hold any combination of the three.

Level 01

CORE Foundation

Individual Pathway · No prerequisites

Format

Self-study or live webinar

Assessment

Knowledge exam + practical submission

Prerequisite

None

Price

£150 Free First 100

What you will be able to do

Identify capabilities beyond skills. The framework to name and organise what experience, circumstance and judgement have developed in you — not just what you were trained to do.

Translate life experience into economic language. Read your own history accurately and express what it has built, in language that has weight in a professional exchange.

Enter professional exchanges as a proposer. Understand what organisations are actually acquiring when they post a role, and position your capabilities as a direct response rather than a bid for selection.

Understand interview dynamics and perform with authority. Know how a structured professional exchange works, what each party is establishing, and how to present your value without overstating or underselling it.

Level 02

CORE Leader

Individual Pathway · Foundation required

Format

Self-study or live webinar

Assessment

Knowledge exam + practical submission

Prerequisite

CORE Foundation certificate

Price

£250

What you will be able to do

Know when your environment is holding you back. Most professionals sense it — the work is fine but something is not moving. Leader gives you the framework to assess whether your environment is genuinely unable to support your capabilities, or whether the conditions simply need time. The difference matters.

Understand the ceiling your current environment sets. Every environment has a point beyond which it will not develop or compensate a professional — regardless of what they bring. Leader teaches you how to identify where that ceiling is in your current role, so you can make an informed decision about whether to stay or move on.

Know when it is time to leave — and how to do it well. Leaving a role reactively — out of frustration, or because an opportunity appeared — rarely leads to a better outcome. Leader develops the capability to assess your environment, decide whether the conditions for your growth are likely to improve, and if not, plan a move with intention.

Move toward environments where your capabilities are actually used. With clarity about what you carry and an honest assessment of where you are, you can start making deliberate moves toward environments that will actually develop and reward what you bring — not just what they need you to do.

Level 03

CORE Employer

Organisational Route · No prerequisites

Format

Self-study or live webinar

Assessment

Knowledge exam + practical submission

Prerequisite

None

Price

£550 Free First 20 orgs

What you will be able to do

Hire for capabilities rather than credentials. Understand what an organisation is actually acquiring when it makes a hire, and structure a process that identifies capabilities accurately rather than filtering them out.

Assess the capabilities profiles of your people. Identify where your people are operating below their capabilities ceiling and where the environment is the constraining factor — not the person.

Design an environment capable of developing people. Diagnose your current environment's structural capacity and identify the specific changes required to increase it.

Build a value-contribution culture. Understand what builds a culture where people bring and develop their full capabilities, versus one where compliance to a job description is the operating standard.

The Process

How to get certified.

The same process applies across all pathways. Choose the format that suits you — self-study or live webinar — and we take care of everything else.

Register

Complete the registration form. A member of the CORE Certified team will confirm your enrolment within one business day.

Programme materials

Your study guide and pre-reading are sent to you so you can get started straight away.

Study and assess

Self-study candidates work through the material at their own pace. Live webinar candidates attend structured online sessions with a facilitator. Both routes cover the same content and lead to the same certification.

Examination and certificate

Complete the knowledge exam online and submit your practical assessment. Certificate issued within three business days of passing.

Level 01

CORE Foundation

Internal Clarity

CORE Foundation is the structured entry point into the discipline of professional capabilities positioning. The programme develops the professional's internal clarity through a comprehensive exploration of the CORE frameworks, tools and philosophies. Candidates work through The Script, the PCORE Framework, and the SPEAKS Model to build understanding of their own capabilities and to develop a Professional Identity Framework — the structured internal map of values, capabilities, perspective and purpose.

The programme comprises self-study or live webinar programme. Candidates complete pre-reading and access study materials in advance. Foundation culminates in an objective online examination covering the full body of knowledge followed by a practical exercise submitted within 48 hours of the programme's conclusion.

What You'll Develop

Module 01: The Script and The Value Framework

Establishes the foundational distinction between skills and capabilities. Introduces The Script as a system of installed professional conditioning. Covers the PCORE Framework as a continuous lifecycle and the SPEAKS Model as the instrument for capabilities identification.

Module 02: The Value Proposition

Develops the professional's internal clarity through application of the SPEAKS Model to their own experience. Produces the Professional Identity Framework — the structured internal map of values, capabilities, perspective and purpose.

Module 03: The Exchange

Applies the Professional Identity Framework to build the Professional Value Proposition — the external exchange document. Covers professional exchange contexts: employment, negotiation and professional positioning.

What You'll Produce

Script Challenge

A structured examination of a specific Script indicator applied to your own experience — tracing its conditioning origin, testing the evidence and producing a capabilities-based reframe.

Professional Value Proposition

A structured presentation of capabilities, market relevance and purpose, designed for use in interviews, negotiations and professional positioning contexts.

How Foundation is Assessed

Candidates complete an objective online examination covering the full Foundation body of knowledge, followed by a practical exercise submitted within 48 hours of the programme's conclusion. The examination tests understanding of the PCORE Framework, the SPEAKS Model, Professional Orientation and the guiding principles of the discipline. The practical exercise tests the ability to apply the frameworks to a professional context.

Who Foundation is For

Professionals at any stage

Any professional who wants to identify, organise and exchange the full range of their capabilities. No seniority threshold. No sector restriction. Foundation is the entry point to the Value Oriented Professional pathway for anyone ready to engage with it seriously.

Career changers and independent professionals

Professionals navigating transitions — whether into new sectors, independent practice or senior roles — who want to enter those conversations with a Professional Value Proposition rather than a career summary.

£150 FREE For the next 100 people

Free for the next 100 people. Standard price of £150 applies once founding places are filled.

One free resit of the objective examination is included.

Ready to begin?

Level 02

CORE Leader

External Clarity

CORE Leader is the second level of the individual pathway, available to Foundation-certified professionals. It develops external clarity through a comprehensive exploration of the organisational and professional environments that the leader operates within. The programme introduces the Environment Framework and applies the Professional Identity Framework developed in Foundation to environmental analysis and navigation.

The programme comprises self-study or live webinar programme. Candidates who have completed Foundation will have established pre-reading and study materials in advance. Leader culminates in an objective online examination covering the full body of knowledge followed by a practical exercise submitted within 48 hours of the programme's conclusion.

What You'll Develop

Module 01: The Environment Framework

Introduces the Environment Framework — the structured instrument for analysing organisational and professional contexts. Establishes environmental diagnosis as a capability and explores how environment shapes professional effectiveness and wellbeing.

Module 02: Orientation and Accountability

Develops the professional's orientation within their current environment. Builds understanding of organisational structure, culture, decision-making and power. Introduces accountability as a professional capability.

Module 03: Environment Navigation and Transition

Applies the Professional Identity Framework and Environment Framework to navigate professional transitions and environmental change. Develops capability in negotiation, positioning and the management of professional change.

What You'll Produce

Environmental Position Statement

A structured analysis of your current professional environment — diagnosis, orientation and your position within it. Designed for use in strategy, negotiation and career planning.

Transition Statement

A structured framework for managing professional transition — whether sector change, role change, level change or organisational exit. Grounded in your Professional Identity Framework.

How Leader is Assessed

Candidates complete an objective online examination covering the full Leader body of knowledge, followed by a practical exercise submitted within 48 hours of the programme's conclusion. The examination tests understanding of the Environment Framework, environmental diagnosis, organisational dynamics and professional positioning. The practical exercise tests the ability to apply the frameworks to an environmental and professional context.

Who Leader is For

Foundation-certified professionals

Leader is available only to professionals who have completed and been certified in CORE Foundation. It builds directly on the Professional Identity Framework developed in Foundation to add environmental clarity.

Senior professionals and leaders

Leaders and senior professionals who want to deepen their environmental diagnosis and develop capabilities in organisational navigation, change management and professional positioning. Prerequisite: CORE Foundation.

£250

Available to Foundation-certified professionals. Standard pricing from registration.

One free resit of the objective examination is included.

Ready to progress?

Level 03

CORE Employer

Organisational Clarity · Standalone

CORE Employer is a standalone programme designed for leaders, HR professionals and organisational decision-makers. It covers the full CORE body of knowledge reframed for the organisational context. Rather than building individual capabilities, CORE Employer develops organisational capabilities in professional positioning, capability identification, hiring and development.

The programme comprises self-study or live webinar programme. Modules can be delivered to individuals or as organisational cohorts. Participants complete pre-reading and access study materials in advance. CORE Employer culminates in an objective online examination covering the full body of knowledge followed by a practical exercise submitted within 48 hours of the programme's conclusion.

What You'll Develop

Module 01: Professional Consciousness for Leaders

Introduces the CORE frameworks and philosophy reframed for the organisational context. Covers The Script, PCORE Framework and SPEAKS Model as instruments for understanding organisational culture and professional capability.

Module 02: Environment Design

Develops capability in environmental design — how to create organisational structures, cultures and practices that support professional capability, engagement and value creation.

Module 03: Value-Oriented Development

Applies professional capabilities thinking to hiring, development and succession planning. Introduces the Capabilities Hiring Framework and value-oriented approaches to talent development.

What You'll Produce

Capabilities Hiring Framework

An organisational framework for capabilities-based hiring — defining roles in terms of capabilities, designing interview processes and assessment approaches that identify capabilities rather than credentials.

Environment Capacity Assessment

A structured assessment of organisational environment and culture — identifying strengths, gaps and development opportunities in how well the environment supports professional capability and value creation.

How CORE Employer is Assessed

Participants complete an objective online examination covering the full CORE Employer body of knowledge, followed by a practical exercise submitted within 48 hours of the programme's conclusion. The examination tests understanding of professional consciousness, organisational environment design and value-oriented hiring and development. The practical exercise tests the ability to apply the frameworks to an organisational context.

Who CORE Employer is For

HR professionals and hiring managers

HR leaders and hiring managers who want to transform how their organisations identify, hire and develop professional capabilities. No prior CORE certification required. CORE Employer is entirely standalone.

Senior leaders and founders

Founders, CEOs and senior leaders who want to develop organisational capability in professional positioning, hiring and development. Build a capabilities-based culture and remove the guesswork from hiring and progression.

£600 FREE For the next 20 organisations

No prior certification required. Free for the next 20 organisations. Standard price of £600 per candidate applies thereafter.

One free resit of the objective examination is included.

Ready to certify?

What Certification Signals

Three audiences. One designation.

To Employers

A CORE-certified professional has formally engaged with the discipline of professional capabilities positioning. They have completed a structured programme, demonstrated understanding of the CORE frameworks and produced a Professional Value Proposition. They understand the difference between skills and capabilities and can articulate their value in those terms.

To the Professional

Certification confirms that the professional has been formally introduced to the CORE body of knowledge and has demonstrated capability in applying those frameworks to their own professional context. The designation recognises a commitment to evidence-based professional positioning.

To the Organisation (Employer)

A CORE Employer-certified leader has the capabilities lens to assess professional candidates accurately, design hiring processes that identify capabilities, and build organisational environments that support professional capability and value creation.

Common Questions

Frequently asked

Is Foundation genuinely free?

Yes. The next 100 CORE Foundation certifications are free in full. Once these founding places are filled, standard pricing of £150 applies. You will know your status when you register and throughout the programme.

Do I need Foundation to do Leader?

Yes. CORE Leader is available only to Foundation-certified professionals. If you are interested in the organisational route, CORE Employer is standalone and requires no prior certification.

Is CORE Employer really standalone?

Yes. CORE Employer requires no prior CORE certification. It is designed specifically for leaders, HR professionals and organisational decision-makers. You can do Employer without Foundation or Leader.

How long does it take?

Self-study candidates work at their own pace. Live webinar candidates attend structured sessions — typically 3-4hrs long. Then the deadline for completing the assessment is 3 days after passing the objectives exam.

What if I do not pass the examination?

One free resit of the knowledge exam is included at all levels. If you do not pass on your first attempt, you will have the opportunity to resit at no additional cost.

Begin

The Value Oriented Professional pathway is open.

No prerequisites for Foundation. No prerequisites for CORE Employer. Leader requires Foundation certification. All three levels are available now.

Core Certified · Professional Capabilities Positioning