Why ISO/IEC 17024?

A professional certification, trade certification, or professional designation often called simply certification or qualification is a designation earned by a person to certify that he is qualified to perform a job. Certification indicates that the individual has a specific set of knowledge, skills, or abilities in the view of the certifying body. Professional certifications are awarded by professional bodies and corporations. The difference between licensure and certification is licensure is required by law, whereas certification is generally voluntary. Sometimes the word certification is used for licensure.

People become certified through training and/or passing an exam. Individuals often advertise their status by appending the certification abbreviation to their name (e.g. “Jane Doe, RHCE”). Strictly speaking, most certifications do not grant post-nominals and it is usually the professional certifications that do.

Certifications may be perpetual, may need to be renewed periodically, or may be valid for a specific period of time (e.g. the life-time of the product upon which the individual is certified). Although it is more common in regard to licensure, sometimes as part or whole of the renewal of an individual’s certification, the individual must show evidence of continual learning — often termed continuing education — or earning continuing education units (CEU).

Certifications are offered through a certification body. This is usually a business organization, and sometimes a professional body. Sometimes, the organization’s business is directly related to the certification, as in a software firm that certifies individuals as competent to use its products. In other cases, an organization (often a not-for-profit organization) exists wholly, or in large part, to offer a particular certification. Whatever its nature, the certifying body determines the policies of the certification program. Potential consumers of a certification wish to understand the nature of the certifying body and the certification process. An individual who bears a designation but appears unable to perform competently is said to be a paper tiger because their resume suggests that they are more effective than they actually are.

The International Organization of Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) have developed a global, voluntary benchmark for organizations responsible for certification of personnel. Fully enacted on April 1, 2003, this international standard (ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024) was designed to harmonize the personnel certification process worldwide and create a more cost-effective global standard for workers. ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024, officially entitled General Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification Systems of Persons, is expected to play a prominent role in facilitating global standardization of the certification community, increasing mobility of among countries, enhancing public safety, and protecting consumers.

• ISO/IEC 17024:2003 is the International Standard for organizations and entities wishing international recognition for certifying the competence of individuals.
• ISO/IEC 17024 response to the need for certification of General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons. This standard provides a benchmark for certification bodies offering certification of individuals applicable to any occupation. It facilitates for organizations and entities accreditation by national bodies such as RvA, UKAS and others.
• ISO/IEC 17024 intent is providing a framework for accreditation and certification organisms a certification program for individuals and as the standard against which a Third Party can validate the management system for certification of persons. The standard itself requires that competence is demonstrated, and which includes education, knowledge, skills and experience requirements that a certified person needs and would be expected to meet.

This international standard provides the general requirements for a management system. It describes conditions for application, examinations, surveillance and re-certification of individuals. Biding to regulatory requirements as well as the International Standard itself it specifies the requisites eluding conflict of interest including certification, confidentiality of information, competence of staff and contractors, and the need for stakeholder input into certification schemes.

Note: Certification activities are not performed by ISO but are carried out by independent specialized inspection and certification bodies, and testing laboratories. ISO’s mission is to develop International Standards, not to verify that ISO standards are being implemented by users in conformity with the requirements set out in its standards.