The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) encourages certification bodies, regulators, and industry to review a new publication released by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) entitled "Certification: Guidelines on Conformity Assessment - ISO/IEC 17024-2012." The document underscores the value of accredited ISO/IEC 10724-based certification programs.
ANSI's Vijay Krishna, senior director of credentialing accreditation programs, co-authored the publication, which is available on ANSI's accreditation website. The guide's chapters include details on globalization of workforce certification and why quality certification matters, requirements for creating a certification program (including implementation clauses), case studies for guidelines on ISO/IEC 17024, a mutual recognition/multi-lateral agreement for ISO/IEC 17024, and globalization of workforce certification and the implications for international agencies.
About ISO/IEC 17024: 2012, Conformity assessment-General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons
The standard provides a global benchmark for quality certi?cation. It has changed the way certi?cations are offered and has harmonized expectations for what constitutes quality certi?cations throughout the world in recent years.
The standard is a response to the need for public protection by establishing that individuals have the required competencies to perform their job. Government agencies worldwide have recognized the standard as a critical requirement for personnel certi?cation bodies that offer certi?cation in many industries including diverse and critical areas related to public health, environment, and national security, according to the guide.
The publication was produced in the context of the National Quality Infrastructure Project for Nigeria, and was funded by the European Union.
ANSI also invites stakeholders to register for its two-day Personnel Certification Accreditation Workshop on September 10-11, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at ANSI's headquarters in Washington, DC. The workshop (register here) is designed to introduce interested stakeholders to the 17024 standard, including revised and new requirements in the latest 2012 edition.