Last summer we offered a community survey to guide us in our work to meet the demand fueled by the growing awareness of IFS. We’re grateful to the thousands who replied and provided important insights on the community we serve as well as learning preferences. We have used these insights to guide us as we are expanding our learning programs while working to maintain high quality events and steward the integrity of the IFS model. We want to take this opportunity to share a summary of the progress we’ve made, and how we’ve incorporated your feedback, as well as share insights on where we’re heading.
Like any organization that is growing, we are making significant investments in infrastructure, programs and people. We are also finding ways to keep our program costs as low as possible, while also expanding and improving upon the financial supports we provide to increase access - especially for underrepresented communities. Our priority continues to be maintaining the safety and efficacy of our programming as we expand to meet the demand.
Building for the Future
Growing an organization takes additional resources. This year we have expanded our Operations team by several members. This team oversees the planning, admissions and execution of our Level 1, 2 and 3 trainings. We know the demand for our professional trainings continues to rise and we are actively working to continue increasing the number of trainings offered and overhauling the admissions process.
This team has also worked incredibly hard to incorporate feedback from our survey results including:
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Offering a majority of online trainings
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Adjusting training formats so more trainings can be completed within a 6-month period. As we evaluate the impacts of these changes, we will note we are balancing that against the benefit of additional time for learning to settle between sessions
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Increasing the time between enrollment and training start date to allow more time planning time for participants
In 2022 we doubled the size of our Talent Management team. Cultivating our trainer community is central to the efforts to offer more Level 1 Trainings. This team is making good progress through trainer development programs fostering trainer promotions and building resources for our highly talented and valuable Program Assistants. You can view our trainer career path here to learn more here https://ifs-institute.com/trainer-career-path
We’re also building a Curriculum and Learning Programs department as we standardize our material and develop learning tracks for additional professional disciplines and personal development. We’re excited to share there will be many more learning opportunities in 2024.
Updating our Certification Policy and Process
In May, our Talent Management team rolled out a revised certification policy and process. The new policy was created with the assistance of a full Certification Committee consisting of a panel of experienced IFS-I Trainers. Our goal was both to modernize the Certification process (goodbye physical mail!) and also to ensure clear, and globally applicable standards for IFS expertise. This change brings additional benchmarks to ensure applicants have enough time after their Level 1 Training for IFS skills to be fully integrated. Those who've already purchased the previous process have until May 2024 to complete requirements as stated in the Transitionary Provision. Learn more about our new certification policy and process here: https://ifs-institute.com/trainings/ifs-certification
Scholarships and Program Discounts: In 2023, approximately $645,000 will be devoted to scholarships and program discounts This is a significant investment in program accessibility. These numbers include the discounts for programs we offer in partnership with Black Therapists Rock and Clinicians of Color where we are providing our programs at a 50% tuition discount for their members. Finding new and more ways to provide access to IFS is one of the key tasks of our new Community Access Manager, Laura Zaidi, who joined earlier this year and is already having an impact with her work.
Tuition Rates: We greatly appreciate and respect the level of financial investment members of the IFS community make when participating in IFSI Level 1 training. Our virtual program tuition rate for Level 1 in 2023 in North America is $3,800. The costs to run a hybrid or in-person training are higher, so those programs have higher tuition. We know this is a significant investment for most. The pricing has not kept pace with inflation, so our costs per program are increasing more than our revenue. We will continue work to keep our programs as affordable and accessible as possible in alignment with our mission.
We hope this information is helpful, and we will continue to provide updates as we grow. We're grateful for the support of the IFS Community.
Warmly,
Katie