Focuses on the training and development needs of admin professionals and features topics such as hard skills (software competencies, writing, communication, filing) and soft skills (teamwork, time management, leadership).
Issue link: https://digital.hrreporter.com/i/1102063
MAY 2019 4 chrane (member-at-large), registrar; Jackie Pontin (Calgary branch), past president. Also at the annual general meeting the association will reactivate an AAP branch in Ottawa. The group has re- cently been holding informal monthly meetings as a lead-up to officially being brought into the AAP fold at the national conference. The national board will hear a re- port from the AAP's Member Engage- ment Taskforce, chaired by Vaillan- court, as to how to better engage with members in five key areas: vision and value-add proposition, promotion, target and champions, retention, and attraction. The AAP had its beginnings in To- ronto in 1951 as the Association of Ad- ministrative Assistants or Private Sec- retaries. The association's designation began in 1957 as a correspondence course conducted by the University of Toronto Extension Division. Upon completion of the three-year course, the graduate-member was entitled to use the designating letters QAA (Qualified Administrative Assistant). When the name Association of Ad- ministrative Assistants was changed to Association of Administrative Pro- fessionals in 2016, the QAA designa- tion became the Canadian Certified Administrative Professional. (The URL for the AAP's website is now www. canadianadmin.ca) CCAP certification, available only to AAP members, is earned through taking distance, online or lecture courses at co-operating colleges and universities across Canada and by demonstrating on-the-job competence and active engagement in one's em- ployment situation. AAP national conference Continued from page 1 AAP: Empowering admin professionals across Canada By Katherine Vaillancourt National Director-President, AAP The expectations of what an administrative profes- sional can do have changed tremendously. We are now asked to tackle a multitude of tasks. Our knowledge base and skills need to be on-point with market trends and requirements. The administrative professional has become an integral part of the workforce. The administrative professional touches every sec - tor, industry and department. We play critical roles in team develop- ment, project management, event planning, social and print media, marketing, finance and governance. The Association of Administrative Professionals (AAP) has led in recognizing our colleagues as profes- sionals and business partners for organizations. As our work environments change, we need support systems to provide resources for professional de- velopment. AAP has embraced this need for change, transforming to ensure we support today's – and tomorrow's – administrative professional. AAP's rich history has formed the base of our evolv- ing profession. As times progressed, so did the need to adapt. Listening to our members' needs, we are changing. AAP opened a new chapter with our name change, (from Association of Administrative Assistants) en- abling not only our organization but also our members to be recognized as professionals within the workforce. In Chapter 1 we wanted to empower administra- tive professionals across Canada through this name change. In Chapter 2 we modernized our brand and style to reflect today's world. The Marketing Committee did a phenomenal job in creating, launching and moving forward with our new brand. Chapter 3 is led by the joint efforts of the website com - mittee and the marketing committee. Our website com- mittee has done a fabulous job in updating our website to highlight our new brand, logo and colours. The change in our website name (www.canadianadmin.ca) was a smooth transition, highlighting that we are Canadian and our key focus is on administrative professionals. Chapter 4 will see the growth and maturing of the Canadian Certified Administrative Professional (CCAP) program. Our newly named committee will do a deep- dive on the state of the program and recommend updates. Chapter 5 is to follow…This chapter has not yet been written. As administrative professionals, we are subject to change in our everyday lives. Transition is the new norm. Malcolm Gladwell has said, "Transformation is much more than using skills, resources and technol - ogy. It's all about the habits of mind." The Association has become more adaptable, em- bracing change. Our habits are transforming. Lessons from our past will enrich our future. Katherine Vaillancourt