July 14, 2022

Why We Pursued International Accreditation for the Mediation Training Institute (MTI) at Eckerd College

MTI enhances its global appeal by earning internationally recognized mediation standards on proprietary Certified Workplace Mediator and Trainer (CMT) Program.

When exploring new and reputable options to enhance the Certified Workplace Mediator and Trainer (CMT) Program for our participants around the world, we first had to consider what would be important to mediators globally. As we weaved through various opportunities, we were guided by our answer to the question:
“Who is our Practitioner?”

As a leader in workplace mediation training, the Mediation Training Institute (MTI) at Eckerd College is acutely aware that our reach stretches far beyond the borders of the USA. In fact, our rosters regularly include professionals living in or working with clients across North America, South America, APAC and EMEA markets. Keen on adding value to our practitioners’ certification and mindful of the varying standards state-by-state and country-to-country, we sought to adopt an independently-verified, global mediation standard that would highlight the world-class training options delivered at MTI and also elevate our practitioners’ certification with a deeper global reach. 

It was only after a tenacious application process that the 6-day CMT Program earned accreditation as a Certified Mediator Training Program from the International Mediation Institute (IMI), a non-profit public initiative that drives transparency and high competency standards in mediation worldwide. Today, graduates of MTI’s CMT program will become IMI Qualified Mediators, indicating they have successfully completed an internationally recognized mediation training that adheres to a code of professional conduct and quality assurance measures.

What Does This Accreditation Mean to Our Practitioners?

With the addition of IMI accreditation to the CMT program, practitioners benefit from a training that has been internationally-recognized for upholding mediation standards across national borders. This enhancement is yet another example of the ongoing commitment MTI has made to secure its position as the foremost provider of training, certification and consulting in workplace conflict management and mediation. 

As part of the Executive and Continuing Education Division at Eckerd College, our goal and commitment is to constantly improve, adapt and provide innovative programming for practitioners globally. Other recent enhancements include refinements with the CMT virtual delivery presentation and a redesign of our train-the-trainer seminar materials, both of which strategically compliment our longstanding proprietary assessment, the Conflict Dynamics Profile. It is the compilation of these resources, as well as access to organizational training and development in conflict resolution, that truly differentiates practitioners who graduate from MTI. 

Next Steps for Our Practitioners

To ensure a seamless experience for graduates of the CMT program, the management of the application and approval process with IMI is a part of MTI’s program administration. After the successful completion of all phases of MTI’s certification process and final approval, MTI provides all the necessary information to IMI to create the initial account.