Beginning in January 2013, all American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-Accredited U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Administrators to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and all ANSI-delegated ISO Secretariats are required to fulfill a new training requirement. The intent of this requirement is to ensure that those representing the U.S. at ISO are secure in their procedural knowledge of ANSI's and ISO's due process–based requirements for participation and representation in the ISO voluntary consensus standards system. This mandatory training will be offered by ANSI at no cost to participants; details and dates for the training will be posted on www.standardslearn.org later in the first quarter of 2013.
The requisite training for ANSI-Accredited US TAG to ISO Administrators and delegated Secretariat staff will take place via webinar in single half-day sessions; update sessions are expected to last up to an hour and a half. The TAG Administrator training course, for example, will be offered three times in 2013, with the possibility of additional sessions. The training will bolster U.S. effectiveness at ISO meetings, ensuring that participating in the ISO process is comfortable for those new to the system. As the U.S. representative to ISO and coordinator of the U.S. voluntary standardization system, ANSI embraces its responsibility to educate the staff that support ANSI-Accredited US TAGs to ISO and Secretariats. Through existing and new training offerings, information about current issues and policies will be clearly and effectively communicated throughout the year.
As of January 2013, all TAG Administrators and delegated Secretariat staff who serve as the official ANSI contact and who have not taken the courses offered by ANSI during the previous two years are required to register for instructor-led webinars covering procedural issues including a review of the ANSI International Procedures (www.ansi.org/internationalprocedures); other TAG administrators and delegated Secretariat staff are required to take part in an update course, which includes a review of current issues. Going forward, annual update sessions will be required for all ANSI-Accredited U.S. TAG Administrators and Secretariats. The training requirement does not apply to TAG members.
The current schedule of ANSI-run courses is available here. Check back in the coming weeks for a schedule of webinars.