How to Become a Certified Instructor

Prospective instructors must complete the following steps before becoming certified:

1. Complete and submit the Certified Instructor Application.
2. Attend and complete the instructor-led course you intend to deliver.
3. Meet the course-specific prerequisites.
4. Pass the certification exam at the mastery level.
5. Demonstrate instructional presentation skills.
6. Review and sign all required documentation and/or contracts.

Step 1: Complete and submit the Certified Instructor Application.

Step 2: Attend and complete the instructor-led training course you want to deliver.

Participating in a class increases the candidate’s knowledge of both the content and delivery of the courseware. Instructor-led courses are offered publicly and virtually. For a complete list of scheduled courses, please visit the Course Calendar.

Candidates may take an HDI self-paced online course instead of the instructor-led course for:

• HDI Customer Service Representative
• HDI Support Center Analyst 
• HDI Desktop Advanced Support Technician 
• HDI Support Center Team Lead

Candidates who select this option are expected to review the instructor resources to learn more about the instructor-led delivery once they've been certified as an instructor. HDI does recommend that all candidates take the instructor-led course, if at all possible, so that they may experience the delivery.

Instructor-led training is mandatory for the following courses:

• HDI Support Center Manager
• HDI Desktop Support Manager
• HDI Support Center Director
• KCS Principles

Candidates need to experience the delivery of these courses in order to learn how to facilitate the various interactions and activities.

Step 3: Meet the course-specific prerequisites.

A minimum of two years of experience in a support center or contact center and previous instructional experience is recommended for all courses. See the Course-Specific Prerequisites for additional requirements.

Step 4: Pass the certification exam at a mastery level.

For each course the candidate desires to be authorized to deliver, they must pass the related certification exam at the mastery level (90%). For courses where no certification exam currently exists, the candidate may do one of the following:

• Perform a teach-back to the Business Associate or Certified Instructor delivering a Train-the-Trainer session (TTT) and receive a satisfactory evaluation.
• Team-teach their first delivery of a course and receive a satisfactory evaluation from the Business Associate or Certified Instructor with whom they're teaching the course.
• Demonstrate existing mastery of the content through other certifications, such as ITIL® Practitioner or Specialist.

Step 5: Demonstrate instructional presentation skills.

Attend an Certified Instructor course virtually or in person and obtain a satisfactory evaluation by the Business Associate or Certified Instructor teaching the class. These courses are conducted virtually.

• Train-the-Trainer: An HDI partner or client can purchase a two-day Train-the-Trainer (TTT) session to be conducted at their facility. The TTT includes the review of a subset of content from the Certified Instructor workshop and a teach-back of content from a portion of the course they desire to be authorized to deliver. For multiple candidates or multiple courses, the length may be extended. If simultaneous translation is required to deliver the course, the partner is responsible for translator fees. This will also increase the length of the course and possibly the TTT session. The daily rate will apply for additional days required.
• Virtual Classroom: HDI will schedule a series of sessions to deliver a Certified Instructor course using web conferencing tools. Prior to the first session, candidates will have a one-on-one conference call with the Business Associate or Certified Instructor who's delivering the virtual course. Candidates should be prepared to provide a recording or a webcam sample that demonstrates their presentation skills.
• Evidence of existing instructor certifications: Submit to HDI a copy of instructor credentials from one of the following programs:
  • Microsoft (MCT)
  • CompTIA (CTT+)
  • Cisco Systems
  • Citrix
  • Novell
  • Oracle
  • Apple (ACT)
  • ICMI

Step 6: Review and sign all required documentation/contracts.

As part of this process, the candidate will be asked to:

• Submit a current resume.
• Document of Understanding: Review what's expected of a Certified Instructor and the processes for working with HDI.
• Certified Instructor Agreement: Review and accept the agreement, which defines the relationship between the Certified Instructor and HDI.

Awarding Certified Instructor Status

Once the candidate’s credentials have been reviewed and the completion of the above steps has been confirmed, HDI will notify the candidate of his/her status. When awarded Certified Instructor status, the candidate will be invoiced for the first annual fee.

In order to register the candidate as a Certified Instructor and to grant him/her access to corresponding resources, all requirements need to have been satisfied, including submitting the candidate’s contact information and biography to HDI. HDI will then grant the instructor access to:

• Certified Instructor resource portal 
• All course standards
• HDI Connect 

All instructors are expected to be knowledgeable of the best practices, good practices, and trends in the support industry, as well the activities and offerings of HDI.