11 Nov 2008
ANSI Seeks Leaders for Launch of Certificate Accreditation Program Call for Nominations for Assessors and Accreditation Committee Members New York, November 11, 2008: The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a private non-profit organization that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system, has issued a call for assessors and committee members to lead a new accreditation program for organizations that issue demand-based education and training certificates to U.S. workers. Currently, there is no nationwide regulation, oversight or monitoring consistently applied to all bodies that offer certificates ¡V nor is there a nationally recognized set of criteria/requirements to evaluate the quality of these programs. In May 2007, ANSI formed an advisory panel of key industry and government leaders to examine the quality and content of training programs that lead to a certificate, and the need or demand for accrediting these programs. ¡§Based on the input received, we believe this new accreditation program will help to educate the public on the meaning of certificates, the difference between certificates and certifications, and how to differentiate among certificate programs with varying levels of rigor,¡¨ explained Dr. Roy Swift, ANSI program director. ¡§This activity is also expected to provide quality benchmarks for the design of future certificate programs.¡¨ Accreditation provides a neutral, third-party attestation that a given certificate program leads to better educated and qualified workers. Accreditation programs are based on standards that outline specific requirements for both the agencies that issue personnel certificates and the specific certificates being offered. ¡§ANSI is committed to an active partnership with educators, trainers, industry, ANSI Accredited Standards Developers, and government experts to facilitate the development of a certificate accreditation program that is based on continual quality improvement,¡¨ added Dr. Roy Swift, ANSI program director. The new ANSI program will also follow the evaluation process outlined in the international standard ISO/IEC 17011, General Requirements for Accreditation Bodies Accrediting Conformity Assessment Bodies. This process includes using specially trained assessors to review documents submitted by applicants against defined requirements, conduct on site assessments of all applicants, and make recommendations to the Institute¡¦s newly established Certificate Program Accreditation Committee that is responsible for making the accreditation decisions. To this end, ANSI is currently soliciting nominations from dynamic national experts in the fields of training, education, personnel certificates, federal, state and local government and policy development for consideration as assessors and members of the Certificate Program Accreditation Committee. Positions descriptions and requested qualifications are identified below. Questions and requests for application materials should be directed to Dr. Roy Swift (rswift@ansi.org; 202.331.3617). Deadline for submission of the application packet is December 1, 2008. Assessors ¡V ANSI Certificate Accreditation Program Specific responsibilities for assessors include: „X evaluating written applications; „X making decisions regarding those areas in which applicants comply or do not comply to the standard, and those areas that need further information; „X working with applicants to secure additional information; „X conducting site visits to applicant¡¦s place of operations, and „X analyzing findings, writing reports, and providing recommendations to the ANSI Certificate Program Accreditation Committee. Required Qualifications „X five (5) or more years of experience with certificate programs gained from providing program oversight or developing certificate programs or being an instructor or other related experience; AND „X experience with evaluation of student learning outcomes, or „X experience with instructional design or educational technology. Preferred Qualifications „X experience with managing/conducting accreditation site visits and reviewing accreditation applications against defined standards; „X experience with one or more specific entities that issue or use certificates (e.g. community colleges, corporate universities, associations, government agencies); „X understanding of the differences between certificates and certifications; „X extensive knowledge of personnel credentialing systems such as licensure, certification and registration; „X understanding of the concept of confidentiality and handling confidential information. Personal Attributes „X excellent interpersonal skills, written and oral communication skills, attention to detail and follow-through skills; „X ability to travel for approximately 15 days per year. Member - Certificate Program Accreditation Committee Specific responsibilities for Certificate Program Accreditation Committee members include: „X creating policies and procedures for the accreditation program, „X determining the accreditation status of certificate issuers that have applied for initial accreditation and/or are undergoing annual surveillance, and „X providing suggestions to ANSI staff regarding program-specific marketing strategies. Required Qualifications „X five (5) or more years of experience with responsibility for a certificate program or programs; „X experience with policy development; AND „X experience on a board or committee as a consumer or public member; or „X current or recent position in a governmental agency (federal, state, local); or „X experience with a government agency or professional/trade association or educational agency or industry that creates certificate programs or relies on certificates to make employment decisions. Preferred Qualifications „X understands the differences between certificates and certifications; „X understands the concept of confidentiality and experience with handling confidential information; „X experience with other ANSI programs as member of an Advisory Panel/Committee/Board is a plus; „X experience as an assessor conducting on site accreditation visits. Personal Attributes „X ability to travel to Washington, DC, four times per year for committee meetings (one day duration) About ANSI ANSI is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide. The ANSI portfolio of accreditation services includes Product Certification Programs, Personnel Certification Programs, Greenhouse Gas Validation and Verification Bodies, and Standards Developers. The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) accredits management systems certification bodies, and the ACLASS brand offers accreditation services for testing and calibration laboratories, reference material producers, and inspection bodies. The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and is a U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). ANSI currently has offices in New York City and Washington, DC. Contact: Stacy Leistner, American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 212.642.4931 ###