Pathway to CWDP
Become a Certified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP)
Elevate your career and drive better client outcomes with a certification that equips you for excellence in workforce development.
What is the CWDP Certification?
Developed by NAWDP the Certified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP) certification is a key differentiator for people in workforce development roles, offering recognition, enhanced skills, and career advancement.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to elevate your career, our structured pathway to CWDP certification has you covered.
Your Pathway to CWDP Certification
Get CWDP certified with Dynamic Works Institute.
Our CWDP pathway is designed with three progressive stages that build your expertise and prepare you for certification.
New to workforce development or want to build your confidence first? Our recommended three step pathway strengthens your foundations, sharpens your skills and prepares you for certification success.
If you’re experienced in workforce development and feel confident in your knowledge, the NAWDP 5 Core Competency Training course is what you need to apply for certification.
Already have your CWDP? Learn more about recertification.
For newcomers to the workforce development field.
Gain essential knowledge and confidence with this fast-paced, interactive training and start building your foundation for a successful career.
3 hours
Live webinar and self-paced activities
$220
What you'll learn
Labor Market Intelligence: Receive a comprehensive overview of LMI to inform successful job matching and business services.
Business Services Insight: Learn how to act as a vital link to success for both job seekers and employers.
Performance Metrics: Unpack the key elements of workforce performance and how they affect program success.
Teamwork and Communication: Discover strategies for effective collaboration and communication within workforce teams.
Foundational Knowledge: Delve into the history of workforce development, understand the evolution from WIA to WIOA, and gain insight into the policy layers and programs.
Customer Service: Integrate extreme customer service practices to tie all skills together and enhance service delivery.
Enhance your case management skills with best practices.
Perfect for frontline staff looking to transform customer interactions from transactional to transformative.
3-4 hours per week, for 7 weeks
Live webinar and self-paced activities
$599
What you'll learn
Person-Centered Planning: Master the art of individualized support by adapting to the unique desires and aspirations of each client to foster trust and motivate success.
Verbal De-escalation and Ethics: Stay poised and professional in crisis scenarios, employing de-escalation tactics aligned with ethical standards to ensure constructive client interactions.
Motivational Interviewing: Utilize a 30-year-tested method structured on four core principles—engagement, focus, evocation, and planning—to guide clients towards actionable change and sustainable growth.
Case Note Excellence: Elevate your documentation by capturing the human journey through strategic and empathetic case note practices that encapsulate compliance needs and client progress narratives.
SMART Goals: Develop adeptness in forging clear, measurable, and achievable goals by integrating the Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely framework to catapult clients towards their objectives.
Inclusive Practices: Embrace the dynamics of diversity and cultural proficiency. Learn to recognize and mitigate unconscious bias while fostering a mindset that bridges generational differences and nurtures growth.
Special Populations & Trauma-Informed Care: Gain insight into addressing the nuanced requirements of special populations with compassion and cultivate personal resilience through self-care practices.
Are you a supervisor or manager of a team? Support your staff in the application of case management principles and practices and become a Case Management Subject Matter Expert with this additional training. Learn more.
The CWDP Certification Course
Ready to get certified? The NAWDP 5 Core Competency Training course is what you need. Achieve industry recognized certification by mastering the 5 core competencies required by NAWDP. This is a NAWDP approved training course. On completion you’ll qualify to apply for CWDP certification.
7-10 hours
Self-paced with competency quizzes
$449
The 5 core competencies
Customer Service Methodology: Deliver exceptional service to diverse groups.
Principles of Communication: Build effective writing, listening, and communication skills.
Labor Market Information & Intelligence: Apply practical labor market insights.
Workforce Development Structure: Understand policies and programs.
Diversity in Workforce Development: Effectively navigate and communicate with the diverse communities we serve.
Upon successful completion of all competency quizzes with 80% or higher pass rate you will be issued a certificate to apply for your certification.
Why get your CWDP credential?
Industry Recognition
Stand out as a leader in workforce development.
Enhanced Skills
Develop competencies in critical areas like communication, diversity, and labor market intelligence.
Career Advancement
Open doors to promotions, leadership roles, and new opportunities.
Greater Impact
Serve your clients better, driving measurable outcomes.
How to Purchase a Course to Get Started
Option 1: Buy online with a credit card (fastest)
- Select the course you want to buy now
- Create an account or login
- Add to cart
- Pay securely by credit card
- Get immediate access to your course
Best for: individuals who want to start straight away.
Option 2: Request an invoice (individuals or groups)
- Complete our request an invoice form
- Our team will contact you to confirm pricing and create your invoice
- Once payment is complete you’ll get instructions on how to finish setting up your account and course access
Best for: group enrolment or payment by purchase order
Questions? Call us at (262) 544 – 4971 or click here to send us an email.
Why Choose Dynamic Works Institute for CWDP?
Leaders in CWDP
63% of workforce professionals with CWDP in the U.S earned their certification with Dynamic Works Institute in the last 3 years.
25 Years Experience
For 25 years we’ve been providing education and training to support workforce development professionals.
Dynamic Learning Platform
Experience real-world, hands-on training with flexible delivery methods include live webinars, self-paced courses, and interactive tools.
Career Advancement
Over 40,000 professionals have taken our training programs to elevate their careers to the next level.
Testimonials
CWDP Recertification
Already hold an active CWDP? Start gaining your professional development hours towards recertification. Learn more.
Frequently asked questions
It is a credential that demonstrates a professional's knowledge, competence, and commitment to the field of workforce development.
NAWDP developed the Certified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP) certification using research based on the job requirements of a wide range of workforce development roles.
According the NAWDP the CWDP designation offers recipients a nationally recognized and portable credential accepted as a valuable measurement tool by nearly 8 in 10 of those making hiring, promotion, salary and bonus decisions. Learn more.
To apply for the CWDP certification, you must meet these 4 criteria:
- Education and experience: Hold a High School Diploma or GED and have 12 months of workforce development experience in the past 24 months.
- Competency: Prove knowledge in five core areas by completing an approved training course such as the Dynamic Works Institute 5 Core Competency Course.
- NAWDP membership: Be an active, paid member of the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP).
- Ethics agreement: Commit to following NAWDP’s Code of Professional Ethics.
Note: You must meet all requirements to apply. Learn more about CWDP Certification Requirements here.
Following the successful completion of an approved CWDP training course you can apply for your CWDP certification from NAWDP by following these steps:
- Complete the CWDP application form: Fill out the application form and submit it to receive confirmation email of submission and a PDF copy of your application for upload.
- Upload documentation: Upload your application documents including the CWDP application and certificate of completion of reciprocity training or exam and pay the $125 CWDP application fee.
- Submit employment verification: Have your employer verify at least 12 months of relevant work experience in the past 24 months.
Learn more about the application process here.
The CWDP certification requires you to show competency knowledge by completing an approved training course, such as the Dynamic Works Institute 5 Core Competency course, or passing a CWDP competency exam with a minimum score of at least 80%.
The training courses for CWDP certification are based on 5 Core Competencies in the areas of:
- Customer Service Methodology
- Diversity in Workforce Development
- Labor Market Information and Intelligence
- Principles of Communication
- Workforce Development Structure, Policies and Programs
The CWDP certification is valid for 3 years from date of award.
Re-certification applications must be submitted before the date of expiry.
To be eligible for re-certification you need to show a minimum of 60 hours of professional development in CWDP competencies during that three-year period.
As soon as you are certified you should start collecting the hours you need for re-certification.
Dynamic Works Institute offers eligible recertification CWDP professional development courses. Learn more about CWDP re-certification here.
To maintain your CWDP and be eligible for CWDP re-certification you need to show a minimum of 60 hours of professional development in CWDP competencies during the three-year period from the date you are awarded your CWDP certification.
Costs depend on the pathway to certification you choose to take.
Dynamic Works Institute offers a NAWDP approved CWDP training course that upon successful completion will enable you to apply for CWDP certification.
The NAWPD 5 Core Competencies training course is $449.
At Dynamic Works Institute, we offer a structured three-stage pathway designed to build your expertise and prepare you for CWDP certification.
According to NAWDP holding a CWDP certification offers recipients a nationally recognized and portable credential accepted as a valuable measurement tool by nearly 8 in 10 of those making hiring, promotion, salary and bonus decisions.
Once certified, professionals typically use the CWDP designation after their names on resumes, business cards, and email signatures.