The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has made a big leap into business valuation certification—and now training. Its Core Business Valuation Techniques Courses I and II are launching as distance learning (150 hours each) introductory courses as of June 18, 2014. The courses are intended to take 12 weeks each, but, since they’re self-paced, attendees are welcome to take more time to get through the key materials.

The courses are the first certification-level business valuation training efforts that match the International Valuation Standards as promulgated by the IVSC. And, as John Barton, the primary designer of the course and the instructor for this first release, points out “a lot of candidates struggle with three days of structured instruction followed by a four-hour test. Self-paced learning allows candidates to spend the time they need to truly master each module.”