The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), a wholly owned subsidiary of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is pleased to announce its recognition of Dallas College’s MRI Technologist Program in its role as an official Standards Recognition Entity (SRE) for Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAP).
ANAB’s IRAP Recognition Program, developed with funding from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), encourages innovative, flexible, industry-driven workforce development approaches to grow a skilled workforce. Connecting career-seekers with paid job training, IRAPs help to create a viable talent pool where employers can find highly trained workers.
The IRAP supports the individuals in career transition, offering workplace-relevant training and progressively advancing skills that result in an industry-recognized credential, often in a shorter amount of time than many traditional credentials. IRAP participants also receive compensation for their work. The program fosters employee engagement and reduced turnover, quicker and more effective training for staff, increased productivity, and curated recruitment of talent, in addition to better organizational and patient outcomes.
Dallas College’s MRI Technologist Program was developed with technical assistance from ANSI-affiliate Workcred. It offers an alternative pathway for obtaining training in MRI technology without a radiology/radiography background, combining on-the-job training with classroom study, and supporting leaners entering the field as well as incumbent workers seeking to increase their skills and abilities. ANAB’s recognition of the program indicates that it meets criteria for quality and value, and has undergone valid, fair, and reliable training to assure its validity as an apprenticeship program.
“Apprenticeship programs are a valuable way for workers to gain relevant training and earn an industry-recognized credential, and the pathway is often faster than traditional programs while allowing their participants to remain employed,” said Vijay Krishna, ANAB vice president, credentialing programs. “What’s more, these programs guide individuals on in-demand career paths where they can find viable employment and put their skills to use—in the case Dallas College’s MRI Technologist Program, as MRI technologists, supervisors, and team leaders. These roles align with the nation’s increased need for MRI professionals as the U.S. population ages. We’re excited to recognize Dallas College’s program and the value that it brings to its learners.”
About ANAB
The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) is the largest multi-disciplinary ISO/IEC 17011 accreditation body in North America, with comprehensive signatory status across the multilateral recognition arrangements of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and International Accreditation Forum (IAF). The ANAB accreditation portfolio includes management systems certification bodies, calibration and testing labs, product certification bodies, personnel credentialing organizations, forensic test and calibration service providers, inspection bodies, police crime units, greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies, reference material producers, and proficiency test providers.
ANAB is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment systems and strengthening their impact, both domestically and internationally, including by administering procedures and criteria for accreditation of conformity assessment programs and encouraging organizations to prepare and submit such programs for accreditation.
About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the U.S. quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations.
The Institute represents and serves the diverse interests of more than 270,000 companies and organizations and 30 million professionals worldwide. ANSI 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). For more information, visit www.ansi.org.
About Dallas College
Dallas College, formerly the Dallas County Community College District, was founded in 1965, and consists of seven campuses: Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro, Mountain View, North Lake and Richland. Dallas College offers online learning and serves more than 83,000 credit and 25,000 continuing education students during the fall and spring semesters. Dallas College also offers dual credit for students in partner high schools and early college high schools throughout Dallas County. Dr. Joe May, the college’s 7th chancellor, has established the Dallas College higher education network in partnership with area school districts, colleges and universities, businesses, community organizations and others to support student success and college completion by removing barriers and providing services that help them earn a college credential and start their professional careers.