Frequently Asked Questions — COMPEL AI Governance Platform and Certifications

Certifications

What certifications does COMPEL Academy offer?

COMPEL Academy offers the Enterprise AI Transformation Professional (EATP) certification family with four levels: Foundation (self-paced entry), Practitioner (proctored exam), Governance Professional (proctored exam), and Leader (exam + portfolio review). Each level validates progressively deeper expertise in AI governance and the COMPEL management system.

Do I need to complete certifications in order?

Yes, certifications follow a progressive ladder. You must earn the Foundation certification before attempting Practitioner, Practitioner before Governance Professional, and Governance Professional before Leader. Each level builds on the knowledge validated by the previous one. However, if you have significant prior experience, you can study independently and attempt each exam when ready — there is no mandatory class attendance for Foundation and Practitioner.

How long are certifications valid?

All EATP certifications are valid for two years from the date of issuance. To maintain active standing, you must renew before the expiration date by paying an annual renewal fee and demonstrating continuing education. A 90-day grace period applies after expiration.

What happens if my certification expires?

If your certification expires and the grace period passes, your credential status changes to “expired.” You will lose access to certification-gated community areas and platform features. To reinstate, you will need to retake and pass the certification exam.

Training

What training formats are available?

COMPEL Academy offers multiple formats: public instructor-led classes (in-person and virtual), private on-site training for organizations, private virtual classes, and self-paced learning paths for Foundation-level content. All instructor-led classes are delivered by Authorized AI Transformation Instructors.

How do I find upcoming training classes?

Visit the official COMPEL Academy Training Calendar to browse all approved public classes. You can filter by certification track, date, delivery mode, region, language, instructor, and partner organization.

Is class attendance required for certification?

For Foundation and Practitioner levels, class attendance is recommended but not mandatory — you can study independently and sit for the exam. For Governance Professional and Leader levels, attendance in an approved training program is required before exam eligibility.

What if I fail the certification exam?

If you do not pass, you can purchase an Exam Retake Voucher and reattempt the exam after a mandatory 14-day waiting period. There is no limit on retake attempts, but each attempt requires a separate voucher.

Partners

What are the partner tier levels?

COMPEL Academy has four partner tiers: Registered (entry level, private delivery only), Silver (limited public classes), Gold (unlimited public classes, featured directory listing), and Strategic (co-branding, referral program, advisory board).

What certifications are required to become a partner?

All partners must have at least one certified instructor with Governance Professional certification or higher. Strategic tier requires Leader certification.

How do partner discounts work?

Partners receive automatic discounts on seat purchases and courseware licenses based on their tier. Higher tiers receive greater discounts. Partner discounts can stack with enterprise volume discounts.

Can partners deliver training to their own clients?

Yes — this is a core benefit of partnership. Partners can deliver COMPEL-certified training to their enterprise clients using authorized instructors. Registered partners can deliver private classes only. Silver and above can request public calendar listing.

Enterprise

How does enterprise cohort training work?

Enterprise customers purchase seat bundles for their employees, then allocate seats to individuals. You can organize employees into cohorts by department, region, or role. A dedicated enterprise admin dashboard lets you upload rosters, track enrollment progress, monitor certification status, and manage renewals.

What volume discounts are available?

Enterprise volume pricing with tiered discounts is available for organizations purchasing 10 or more seats. Partner tier discounts stack with volume discounts. Contact our enterprise team for a custom quote.

Can we get a private class for our organization?

Absolutely. Enterprise customers can request private on-site or virtual classes exclusively for their team. Private classes can be customized to your industry context and regulatory environment.

How do we track certification compliance across our organization?

The enterprise admin dashboard provides real-time visibility into which employees hold which certifications, upcoming renewal deadlines, exam completion rates, attendance records, and compliance gaps. You can export reports for audit purposes.

Platform

Do I need a certification to use the platform?

The COMPEL platform offers different tiers gated by certification level. The free Sandbox tier requires at least Foundation certification. Starter requires Practitioner, Pro requires Governance Professional, and Enterprise requires Leader certification.

Is there a free trial?

Yes. When you earn a certification that unlocks a platform tier, you receive a trial period: 14 days for Foundation/Sandbox, 30 days for Practitioner/Starter and above. No credit card is required to start.

What features does the platform include?

The COMPEL platform provides AI governance operational tools including: AI system registry, risk assessment and scoring, compliance framework mapping (EU AI Act, NIST, ISO 42001), maturity assessments, workflow builder, policy library, audit center, stakeholder mapping, and reporting dashboards.

Billing

What payment methods do you accept?

Individual purchases accept all major credit cards. Enterprise and partner customers can choose invoice-based billing (net 30 terms). Annual subscriptions offer approximately 17% savings compared to monthly billing.

Can I upgrade my plan later?

Yes. You can upgrade your platform tier at any time, provided you hold the required certification. Upgrades are prorated. Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing period.

What is your refund policy?

Certification exam fees are non-refundable once an exam attempt has been started. Course seat purchases can be refunded up to 14 days before the class start date. Platform subscriptions can be cancelled at any time, with access continuing through the end of the paid period.

Do you offer scholarships or discounts for nonprofits?

Yes. COMPEL Academy offers scholarship codes for qualifying nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and individuals from underrepresented backgrounds. Scholarship discounts range from 25% to 100% depending on eligibility.