Executive Assistant Professional Certification

A professional certification for Executive Assistants who want to be taken seriously for how they think, judge, and contribute.

One clear standard

Flexible delivery

Recognised professional credibility

EAPC
EAPC Mobile

See the Standard

Download the brochure to understand; what the core covers, which electives are available, how certification works and what you receive when certified

How the certification works

The EAPC is a structured certification designed to give Executive Assistants and aspiring EAs clarity, confidence, and professional recognition, built around our Core High Performing EA Standard and three elective capability units.

Core Learning

1. The Core

The High Performing EA Standard, this is completed by all participants. Available self-paced, live online, or in person.

Elective Modules

2. Electives

Choose three elective capability units. Build depth where it matters most to your role, online at your own pace.

Certificate

3. Certification

Complete the Core and three electives to become certified, maintain your certification through an annual online exam.

Why This Certification Exists

For Executive Assistants

For Executive Assistants

The EA role is poorly defined, inconsistently valued, and frequently misunderstood so capability is assumed rather than recognised. Many EAs are relied on heavily but denied progression, authority, or meaningful development. There is growing pressure to adapt to AI without clear guidance or standards and existing EA training is often dismissed as soft or non-essential.

For Organisations

For Organisations

There is no shared benchmark for EA capability so hiring decisions rely on gut feel rather than evidence. Executives expect high-level support without articulating what that means and HR and recruiters lack a trusted signal that an EA is ready to operate at executive level. This certification solves for clarity, credibility, and consistency – it defines the standard, validates it through the market, and gives both EAs and employers a shared reference point.

Who This Is For

This certification is for:

Executive Assistants supporting senior leaders

Senior EAs seeking formal recognition

EAs wanting confidence and progression

Organisations investing in EA capability

Aspiring EAs taking the first step in their career

EAPC Who is this for?

What you receive

Most Executive Assistants are already operating at a high level, but without a clear standard, shared language, or external recognition to back it up. That gap is what creates self-doubt, over-explaining, and being overlooked.

This certification is designed to close that gap.

You walk away with:

Executive Assistant Professional Certification
A recognised certification that reflects how you think, judge, and contribute, not just how busy you are. Something you can confidently stand behind.

A clear, industry-defined professional standard
No more guessing what “good” looks like. You’ll understand the expectations of high-level EA practice and where you sit against them.

Stronger judgement under pressure
Confidence in your decisions, language, and priorities, especially when things are unclear, fast-moving, or politically complex.

Credibility you don’t have to explain
External recognition that supports your role internally, so you’re not constantly justifying your value or translating your impact.

A professional credential you can use
A digital certificate and credential you can share with your organisation, recruiters, and network.

Connection to a global EA community
Access to a community of EAs who are operating at a similar level and taking their profession seriously.

EAPC Promise

Investment & availability

This certification is designed to reflect the level of judgement, responsibility, and trust expected in senior EA roles.

Total investment: $4,997AUD+GST

Available formats:

Live online: First intake, 25–26 March
Live in person: Dates to be announced in Q3 and Q4
Self-paced online: Presale now on, content opens in late March

Most participants complete the certification with organisational support. If you’re planning to discuss this internally, we’ve prepared a short business case you can share with your manager or HR team. Download the business case. 

What others say

In the initial scoping call with Amanda, it was all about “I’d just like to gain confidence”. How can ANYONE know what’s ahead of them before session one! The personal and professional growth I found in myself through this course is a value you can’t put into a dollar figure. The awareness/breakdown/breakthrough moments (of which there were plenty), provided me with a renewed passion for how I wanted to show up in the world, to be the best version of myself.

Learning about leadership strategies has significantly boosted my confidence and performance. I am now comfortable expressing my thoughts and ideas in various forums, whether small or large. It also helped me achieve a better work-life balance. I now have the tools to switch off and be fully present at home, and I have noticed positive changes in both my personal and professional life.

This whole course was incredibly valuable. Every module was relevant and helped fill in gaps I didn’t even realize I had. Amanda’s personal experiences, along with hearing from others in the course, made the content feel so relatable and practical. Being the only EA at my company and it being my first career path, it was reassuring to see I was on the right track. Most importantly, the course gave me real clarity around what my role is, why EAs are so important, and where I can take my career. I now feel much more confident and have a clear plan for my future growth as an EA.

Amanda was very engaging in her delivery of the course content. It was really useful to get an overview of what the industry expectations are now and its given me the tools and confidence to get back to being an EA again, after 10 years out of the game. I feel excited to start applying for jobs and move my career into a new direction.

The EA Leader course was insightful, relevant, and highly practical. I'd recommend it to all EAs looking to elevate their impact and wanting to grow their leadership skills.

The material that was discussed highlights perfectly the tasks and situations EA can find themselves. Also a good reminder how we should be constantly looking at ways to learn and develop skills. Also easy videos to follow along and liked the fact we were given tools that we can look into using.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course and found it highly valuable. I had many key takeaways, and I especially appreciated being able to apply the learnings from each subject directly to my new role in real time. The flexibility to complete the course at my own pace was also a significant advantage.

The most valuable aspect of the EA Manager course was the focus on developing strategic thinking and leadership capability within the Executive Assistant role. It provided practical frameworks for influencing up, managing stakeholder relationships, and aligning EA contributions with organisational goals. I particularly appreciated the emphasis on positioning the EA as a critical business partner, which has helped shift my perspective and approach to my role.

I highly recommend the EA Institute to other EAs in my network—their flexible, high-impact courses are redefining professional development in our field. They’re truly leading the way in empowering EAs through practical, forward-thinking education.

[EA Technician is] An absolutely amazing foundational course for the person who is starting their EA career or would like to brush up their skills.

The feedback has been pretty amazing. My executive has pointed out how much more efficient I’ve become and how I’ve stepped up in decision-making. Even my Colleagues have noticed my enhanced leadership abilities, often approaching me for guidance.

To grow a business, you need to grow individuals. And I felt throughout the course Meagan grew in her ability to lead projects, lead others, coach others and support individuals in the business, directly and indirectly.

When I originally sent her on the course, I had hoped that she would gain some technical skills on how to be an EA, but I found that during the course she gained far more than technical skills but leadership skills… On how to ask good questions, how to lead projects, how to lead others.

I find our more experienced EA’s feel empowered to make decisions that often really help Executives. Things like using initiative to ask questions to learn more about the style of the Executive, trying different things to see what sticks, regularly checking in with the executive to see what’s working/what’s not. Having confidence in their abilities and identifying areas for improvement.

My brand has significantly strengthened as a trusted pair of hands, known for leadership gravitas and sound decision-making. I’ve become empowered to advise on business matters, and my executives frequently rely on me to take charge of complex issues, contributing not just administratively, but strategically. This recognition from my team and executives has bolstered my confidence, allowing me to take on more leadership responsibilities and support the business at a higher level.

I’ve noticed a significant boost in how I communicate. I now approach challenges with a more solution-focused mindset. I now spend time “seeking to understand” both the situation and other’s perspectives, before jumping straight into action mode! This results in better outcomes for everyone, prior I used to be very reactive and quick to solve, usually create a bigger problem for myself! My leadership skills have also developed, and I find that I’m better able to inspire and guide colleagues.

Leveraging the skills I gained, I successfully transitioned from 20 years in construction industry and secured a position supporting one of Australia’s leading corporate affairs professionals at a Big 4 bank. In that role, I gained firsthand insight into how large organisations operate at the highest levels, allowing me to broaden my strategic perspective and understand the intricacies of corporate governance and leadership within such a prominent institution. This experience further honed my ability to anticipate needs, handle complex challenges, and contribute to key decisions. I feel confident in myself that I can support individuals at the highest levels, regardless of station or industry. The course was also the impetus to start my university degree, which I will finish next year.

[Jacqueline] Thank you so much for coaching me over the past couple of months. It has been very enlightening and you are a fresh of breath air!I looked forward to each of our session together. You made me feel comfortable and in a safe place where I could dig deep and made it easy for me to share my experiences.You are a phenomenal listener and during our time together I have become more self-aware and gained some great tips on how to have a different perspective on certain matters, in particular my relationships with others.I like how you were always prepared and ready to help me work through things and had on hand a variety of different exercises and resources to suit the situation that you generously shared with me. This helped me to refocus my energies and as a result I’ve been able to work on some exciting goals.I believe you provided me with some great tips to improve my performance and has helped in both in my career and personal life.Once again, thanks for being there for me and giving me different tools and techniques to start creating the life I want.

A culmination of events had upended my life personally and professionally, leaving me disheartened and disorientated.Jacqueline's holistic coaching sessions laid the foundations for my personal journey of true transformation. She is an intuitive, empathetic teacher and I highly recommend her to anyone seeking assistance with their own personal journey.

Amanda’s passion for transferring her knowledge and supportive follow-up mentoring, led me towards embracing greater responsibilities within the organisation. From participating in one of her training sessions, I now feel empowered to take on a greater level of leadership within our business and support our director in a new way.Thank you, Amanda, for your patience and expertise in guiding me though the learning process.

Thanks very much again for this training. It was exactly what I needed. I am very much a systems person and have been struggling over the last year and a half or so to figure out something that captured absolutely everything and had a super simple, adaptable workflow (honestly, the number of apps I’ve run through trying to make something work is a little bit terrifying). I took to your framework like a fish to water, and having exactly what I knew I needed laid out for me was such a help. Next step—personalise.I appreciated the emphasis on the mindset shift as I am definitely guilty of stressing over the length of to-do lists and trying to get it done. It’s so relieving to know that everything’s noted and will be taken care of in due time.

You've given me the strength to speak to my Executive about things that he can do to help me get my job done more efficiently. Thank you!!

This whole experience since joining has been a revelation, which I cannot thank you, and all involved enough. My performance review turned out to be the best one ever and it was based all around me building confidence.

I’m loving the content, but more importantly I’m really loving the time I have to set aside to do the work – it's not often I get to work on things just for myself so I’m really finding it beneficial. I’ve become really close, very quickly, to one of my group members so that has been an added bonus/surprise I wasn’t expecting.

This training has been so valuable for me. Going through a rough time at work, with lots of change, this program has helped ground me and realign my focus to what’s important. It’s been really insightful and very good to learn about the psychology and science behind what makes us tick. I would highly recommend this training, you can do it in your own time and revisit whenever you’re having a tough day or week.

Before I started this training, having done a huge amount of learning and development, I had some idea of what mindfulness was, however this has given me a far greater understanding and helped me greatly in my role as Executive Assistant. The session on judgement had a big impact, and every time I do the training another light bulb goes off. If you are on the fence about doing this training, I would say go for it. There are so many resources included, and it will help just as much in your personal life as it does for work.

I would highly recommend The High Performing EA program. From our first conversation, I knew Amanda would be able to push me out of my comfort zone, in the best way possible. As a current participant of The High Performing EA program, I have been amazed with how much the program can not only change my life professionally, but also personally. Amanda has the ability to truly empathise with your circumstances, help you to see the opportunities you have for change, provide you with the tools and empower you to make those changes yourself

Amanda thank you so much for reaching out and inviting me to participate in your program. Your leadership training program is very practical, structured and definitely challenging. It provided me with an all round overview on how to lead and the methodologies used were at a very high standard. I have accomplished so much and as a result so many opportunities have opened up for me at KPMG

Having recently completed The High Performing EA program with Amanda, I highly recommend the course. Amanda is a great facilitator, she continually pushed me out of my comfort zone and I am now reaping the rewards not only in my work life but it also translates through to your personal life. The course is well structured and has provided me with many new tools and strategies to use to help me lead at work.

The EA Institute changed my life! Seriously! I could not dream up a more inspiring, challenging and encouraging six months of growth that I experienced through "The High Performing EA."

Meet the trainers Amanda Vinci

Meet Our Founder

Amanda Vinci

Amanda is on a mission to elevate the next generation of leaders, globally and holistically.

A former EA herself, Amanda rose from entry-level to supporting senior executives, ultimately establishing Australia’s premier training hub for Executive Assistants. With her flagship High Performing EA course and subsequent specialised courses, she has transformed the careers of hundreds of EAs by teaching them strategic mindset, leadership, and visibility skills essential for modern business.

An internationally accredited coach and keynote speaker, Amanda brings over a decade of experience in leadership, behavioural studies, and burnout prevention. She believes in empowering assistants to achieve their full potential and is dedicated to redefining the administration profession. Under Amanda’s leadership, The EA Institute continues to empower assistants to secure their voice and impact in business.

Follow Amanda on LinkedIn

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to complete the core?

Yes. The Core High Performing EA Standard is compulsory for all participants.

The Core establishes the shared professional standard that underpins the certification. It focuses on judgement, responsibility, language, and professional integrity, the capabilities that sit underneath strong EA performance, regardless of role or industry.

Without the Core, there is no common benchmark, which is why it’s required for certification.

View Core dates and formats.

How many electives do I need to complete?

To become certified, you must complete three elective capability units in addition to the Core.

Electives allow you to build depth in areas most relevant to your role, strengths, or career direction. Many participants choose electives that reflect where they are now, while others select electives that support where they want to go next.

You’re welcome to complete more than three electives if you’d like to continue building capability beyond certification.

Are the courses accredited or certified?

While our courses are not formally accredited, they are recognised by industry leaders and designed to provide real-world skills that can significantly impact your career. Participants receive a certificate of completion.

Is the certification self-paced or live?

The Core High Performing EA Standard can be completed in:

1. Self-paced online format

2. Live online format

3. Live in-person format

All formats cover the same standard and lead to the same certification outcome. Elective units may be offered in different formats depending on the capability area. Full details are outlined in the brochure.

See upcoming Core dates and delivery formats.

Do I need formal qualifications to enrol?

No. This certification is not based on academic qualifications.

It’s designed for Executive Assistants who are already operating in real roles and want a recognised professional standard that reflects how they think, judge, and contribute.

Experience, responsibility, and readiness matter more than formal study.

Is this suitable for organisations?

Yes. Many organisations use certification as part of their EA development strategy.

The certification provides:

1. A clear, externally defined professional standard

2. Confidence in EA capability beyond task execution

3. A shared language for performance and development

4. We offer discounted rates for group enrolments and can support organisations enrolling multiple EAs.

To enquire about organisational options and group rates, email: info@theeainstitute.com.au

How do I explain this to my manager?

You’re not expected to sell this internally.

The brochure is designed to clearly explain:

1. Why the certification exists

2. What capability it builds

3. How it supports executives and organisations

4. Why it’s a credible professional investment

Many participants share the brochure as a starting point for discussion, download the brochure above to share internally.

What happens after I’m certified?

Once you’ve completed the Core and three electives, you’ll receive:

1. Executive Assistant Professional Certification

2. A digital certificate and professional credential

3. Recognition against an industry-defined EA standard

From there, you can continue building capability through additional electives or advanced learning options as they become available. To maintain your certification, you must complete an annual exam.

Find out more here.