Private equity firms are investment management companies acquiring private companies by pooling capital from high-net-worth individuals and investors. Private equity firms manage trillion dollars of capital to buyout trades, purchase stakes, and manage portfolio companies. This attracts many professionals to join and position themselves in private equity. A career in private equity is the most sought-after profession and destination career for finance graduates.

To become a successful private equity professional, it is essential to earning a private equity certification. The United States Private Equity Council (USPEC) has taken the most powerful initiative to establish and propagate standards, norms, knowledge framework, benchmarks and credentials for private equity firms and professionals. It helps them to take enrich their performance to the next level in PE and VC domains.
Get introduced to one of the best private equity certifications provided by USPEC here.

USPEC’s Credential for Private Equity Professionals

The CPEP™ certification program is offered by USPEC (United States Private Equity Council), one of the most popular credentialing bodies in the private equity sector. Founded on the USPEC standards formed by leading private investors, chief investment officers, investment principals, and asset managers, this private equity certification carries a global value.

The CPEP™ program tops-up the professional’s business degree and facilitates a smooth entry into the private equity domain. It validates the professional’s knowledge and capabilities in asset management, investment, and accounting. It enables the candidate to take a neat approach for portfolio strategies, deal design, valuation techniques and approaches, analysis, and decision-making processes critical to the private equity value chain.

The globally-recognized private equity certification program is suitable for candidates holding a Master’s qualification in finance/accounting/financial analysis or any discipline related to investment management, finance, accounting, or capital markets. Candidates working in any of the finance sub-functions with a bachelor’s degree and an active credential by CFA, FRM, or any other global certification as recognized by USPEC can also apply for this program.

CPEP™ program meets the professional expectations of top PE and VC firms. It gives a quick start for candidates to launch their careers in private equity and sharpens the career graph of professionals already working in the private equity industry.

Importance of CPEP™ private equity certification in the global market

To gain an advanced level of competency in the private equity space, earning the best private equity certification like Chartered Private Equity Professional (CPEP™) is important. Let us understand the importance of this specific certification CPEP™ here. These insights might help you to plan your career development.

This professional certification program is designed by following USPEC IFIS™ (Industry-Firmographic Investment Science) standards for excelling in PE practice will help you understand the private equity domain in detail. Called the IFIS™ Body of Knowledge, it establishes the benchmark for skills and knowledge in finance, investment, private equity ensuring success in PE practice.

Figure 1: THE IFIS™ GRID
The IFIS™ grid envelopes 22 themes of critical attention and learning as shown in figure 1. They are grouped into 3 IFIS™ knowledge-spokes that include –
· Industry knowledge
· Firmographic knowledge
· Investment science knowledge

It is convenient for recruiters and professionals as well to acknowledge the knowledge and skills they are looking for in private equity jobs. Being the world’s top private equity certification, it articulates professional knowledge standards and validates the capabilities of the candidates working in/inclined to join PE firms. It enables PE professionals to handle the most complex roles and assignments in the industry.

Moving forward, let us see how to get enrolled for the CPEP™ certification program.

Steps to get enrolled for the CPEP™ certification program

Figure 2: 6 STEP CERTIFICATION PROCESS
There are six distinct steps toward earning your CPEP™ certification as described here. You may visit here for more detailed information.

1. Check eligibility requirements:
It is mandatory to meet the academic and work experience requirements to get enrolled for the program. Keep this information handy while filling your application form.

You should have a/be:
��MBA/Masters in Finance with a minimum of two years of work experience
��Bachelor’s qualification (with Finance as major) and a minimum of three years of work experience
��Studying in MBA/Masters in Finance programs in USPEC accredited and recognized business schools, universities, and institutions
��Working in any of the finance sub-functions with a bachelor’s degree and an active credential by CFA, FRM or any other global certification as recognized by USPEC

2. Fill the online application:
Create your myUSPEC account to initiate the process. As you submit your application and make a successful payment of the prescribed fee, you will receive an acknowledgment instantly and instructions to proceed further.

3. Get validated:
Your credentials against the prerequisites for the program gets validated.

4. Avail learning resources:
You will receive the learning resources at the address registered with us within three to four weeks.

5. Attend USPEC exam:
There will be a 120-days immersion period for the registrants during which you can build foundations in private equity. Then, you can schedule your exam any time after the 120-days immersion period. You will also be benefitted from 245-days to plan and take the exam.

6. Earning the certification: You will get awarded with the credential and digital badge as you qualify the exam and meet other conditions. You can expect the physical credential pack within 3–4 weeks from the date of the award.

Parting Note:
Private equity is one of the top paid professions in finance. You should renew your qualification by refreshing every three years to stay updated with the latest professional knowledge and practices.

Enroll yourself in a private equity certification program to get ahead in the private equity space.

Source: https://medium.com/@alinaparker11/why-take-up-uspecs-chartered-private-equity-professionals-cpep-program-in-2020-ea3642c39f31