Partners

IPCA has established partnerships with criminal justice through the Northeast Association of Criminal Justice Sciences, the retail loss prevention/asset protection sector through our association with The Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF) and with the uniformed security community by partnering with The International Foundation for Protection Officers (IFPO). We are exploring the possibility of developing standards in education for all Applied Social Science programs in support of an educated professional workforce at various levels from entry to management.
We welcome partnerships with the related disciplines and sub disciplines connected to security and justice e.g. Homeland Security, Cyber Security, Emergency Management etc.

This development of standards requires that the industry identify desirable knowledge and skills considered essential and even desirable for employment in their field. It is then hoped that industry would assist in development of model curricula that would help bring about the desired result in students who choose to enroll in higher education programs offering degrees in Applied Social Sciences or current employees who chose to improve professional credentials through certification.

Another way of exploring the need for standards would be to do so in terms of outcomes. What does Business/Industry and or a Professional Association wish to have, minimally, in a model employee, applicant, organizational member or student affiliate. Determining what should be best in possessing a prior credential and or educational experience before entering the workforce is necessary knowledge for organizational decision makers. Employers need to ask, which will credentials best demonstrate the possession of useful knowledge base of an individual.
Institutions of Higher Education Institutions need to ask, how do students and parents distinguish what is offered when comparing similarly designated programs. There are many advertisements promising much and some may be supportive of schools which have weak educational offerings. Accreditation makes the strong stand out.

Currently not programs but, also, certifications are being offered in the Applied Social Sciences which may or may not deliver the content desired and as many are offered on line without any accreditation or external review, how can one choose what is best for an individual to possess and an employer to accept?

IPCA wishes to protect the student and employer and be certain that industry gets what it needs and what it wants. IPCA wishes to protect quality academic programs from those which sprig up to offer a diploma for sale without content.