What is the difference between a certification and a certificate?
Certifications are voluntary credentials offered by non-governmental agencies to set professional standards for qualifications. Certificates are typically issued after an individual attends or participates in a particular meeting or course, are educationally focused rather than occupationally focused, and are not always based on a formal job/practice analysis or role delineation study and may not be assessment based. Certificates are not listed on Army COOL.
How are certifications approved to be listed on Army COOL?
Credentials included on COOL are analyzed carefully and must be relevant to a military occupation and meet COOL credential standards.
What is the difference between COOL and the Army Credentialing Assistance Program?
Army COOL is not the same as the Army Credentialing Assistance (CA) Program. Army COOL is a repository for all credentials that Soldiers wish to pursue and lists credentialing agencies that meet COOL credential standards. COOL does not list training vendors.
How can I request that a credential be added to the COOL website so I can use Army CA for it?
You can use the “recommend a credential” feedback form located on the Army COOL contact page to recommend a credential be added to COOL. Army COOL only includes national certifications and licenses, and does not include state licenses, training courses or certificate programs. Recommended credentials must be relevant to a military occupation and meet COOL credential standards prior to being included on COOL.