May 2022 marks the fifth year NCRA has designated the month as Celebrate Certification Month, a time for members to reflect on the professional certifications they have earned, are working toward earning, or are planning to earn. As always, NCRA has provided a page on its website loaded with resources to help members share with their clients and customers why choosing a professional who holds a nationally recognized certification guarantees they will receive the highest-quality services possible.
But did you know that each time a member of NCRA earns a new certification, the Association’s Communications Team issues them a customizable press release template they can complete and return, along with a headshot, that is then distributed to their local media outlets free of charge?
While there is no guarantee that the press releases will be picked up 100 percent of the time, many local newspapers do run them in their business sections. In addition, it is not uncommon for these press releases to generate feature articles that focus on a member and their careers, further helping to promote the stenographic court reporting and captioning professions and the work of legal videographers.
To date, nearly 60 percent of all NCRA members hold at least one or more professional certification. As of the start of 2022, the total number of NCRA members who hold certifications are as follows:
- Registered Skilled Reporter 19
- Registered Professional Reporter 5,462
- Registered Merit Reporter 1,554
- Registered Diplomat Reporter 510
- Certified Realtime Captioner 773
- Certified Realtime Reporter 2,260
- Certified Legal Videographer 263 (who are members)
- Certified Reporting Instructor 186
In addition to its professional certifications, NCRA also offers the Trial Presentation Professional certificate, a technology-based certificate that acknowledges the recipient’s high level of knowledge and understanding of the use of electronics in trial presentation software to present evidence in court. As new technologies emerge, IT professionals, courtroom personnel, and trial presenters often have a wide range of equipment available to them in each new situation. Trial Presentation Professionals are well versed in recognizing new technology and equipment and in determining which types are best suited to present evidence for the courtroom situation to in question.
NCRA members are encouraged to visit NCRA’s Celebrate Certification Month resource page and download any and all the free resources available to them. These resources include career flyers, press release templates announcing the earning of a new certification, handouts about what each certification means, information about the benefits of working with a nationally certified professional, and more.
Other favorites include customizable business cards that can help showcase your certification and what it means, social media messages to share throughout the month, articles with information about tips for successful testing, why certification is important, and official Celebrate Certification Month artwork and certification logos.
Celebrate Certification Month is the perfect time to make an investment in yourself by committing to earning a new certification. Professional certifications not only boost your skills, but they also boost your earning potential. Be sure to share with your clients, potential customers, or anyone interested in a career in court reporting, captioning, or legal videography why NCRA professional certifications matter. And don’t forget to share how you plan to celebrate with NCRA at pr@ncra.org.
