The Arkansas Civic Education Program (ACE) Program is the Arkansas Municipal League’s new voluntary certification and training program for municipal officials and employees. The program was launched in January at the 2024 Winter Conference and is the successor to the League’s previous certification program. The more than 900 active members who participated in that program since its debut in 2010 have had their credits transferred into the ACE Program. With the transfer of the members and credits from the former program combined with new enrollment, the ACE Program has nearly 1,200 members engaged in learning.
On-demand training has become a hallmark of public and private employment. The ACE Program continues to offer in-person training with the added feature of convenient and accessible on-demand training, enabling members to learn when and how they can. The ACE Program is based in the ACE Hub at learningmanager.adobe.com/acehub, the online portal that houses all the on-demand training modules. The ACE Hub also serves as the recording mechanism for all certification-credit training, whether in person or on demand.
When the program launched in January, 25 credits were available. These 25 credits constitute Level 1 of the program, called Civilpedia, which is offered for $50. Civilpedia is the most fundamental municipal training and provides the prerequisite information for all subsequent learning. Level 1 includes a textbook that provides an overview of municipal government, municipal finance, human resources, planning and zoning, and the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. When a member completes Level 1, the member is Civilpedia-Certified.
There are four levels of certification available in the ACE Program. Level 1 requires 25 credits. Level 2 requires an additional 50 credits for a total of 75 credits. Upon completion of Level 2, a member is ACE-Certified. Level 3 requires 75 more credits for 150 total credits, and a member at this level is ACE-Advanced. The final level, Level 4, requires an additional 100 credits for a total of 250 credits. A member who completes 250 total credits in the ACE Program is an ACE-Master. Participants who achieve ACE Program certification during the year will be recognized at the League’s 2025 Winter Conference.
While the previous program limited course options, the ACE Program offers a more expansive library of training options and allows members to create their own curriculum. After the prerequisite Level 1 is completed, members may choose from the available courses and modules in which they are interested to receive advanced credits. Each module is available for $20.
New on-demand content will be distributed each spring and fall through the ACE Hub. In May 2024, 25 more credit hours were added, covering the topics of grant writing, leadership development, stress management, civility, harassment claims and intermediate municipal finance.
In addition to on-demand modules that members can access with a smart device from wherever they are, the ACE Program continues to offer in-person training at our conventions and conferences. During the 90th Annual Convention in June, 12 credit hours were offered at concurrent breakout sessions. Those sessions were recorded and converted into on-demand content on the ACE Hub, giving attendees the ability to earn credit hours for concurrent sessions they were unable to attend. They will be available online until September 14. Additional in-person training opportunities are in the planning stages and will be announced soon.
The on-demand library will expand by the year, and we look forward to the continued possibilities and growth of this program. This is truly the beginning of an exciting adventure, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it with you. Please reach out to us with any training topics you would like to see offered. We look forward to hearing from you and to learning together!
