(ANSI: Washington) -- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has announced dates for its first-ever workshop on accreditation of certificate-issuing bodies. The Feb. 11–12, 2010 event will introduce interested stakeholders to the American National Standard ASTM E2659-09—"Standard Practice for Certificate Programs," and to the Institute’s Certificate Accreditation Program (ANSI-CAP).

“In today’s competitive job market, many workers are turning to certificate programs to gain valuable and marketable skills,” says Roy Swift, Ph.D., ANSI senior director of personnel credentialing accreditation programs. “But with so many programs out there, it’s critical to choose certificate programs backed by a nationally recognized and respected standard. This course will provide attendees with insight into how they can increase the quality of their programs that will better serve those seeking certificates and those evaluating potential employees.”

The two-day workshop is designed to introduce interested stakeholders to the requirements for developing a quality education and training course that includes an assessment which determines if the learning outcomes have been achieved. It will cover such areas as terminology, significance and use of the standard, requirements for certificate issuers, and certificate program and certificate issuance, and use.

The Institute’s new course will provide participants that are interested in entering the accreditation process for certificate programs the ability to begin a self-assessment process that will identify strengths, as well as possible gaps, in meeting the specific requirements.

Presentations, small group discussions, and exercises will allow stakeholders to:

• Define terminology and to identify documents, best practices, and other resources that can be helpful in building an understanding of the standard
• Describe the specific requirements of ASTM E2659
• Identify what content (including types of documents and data) may be helpful in demonstrating compliance with each requirement and how this content will be reviewed during an accreditation visit
• Describe the ANSI accreditation process based on ISO/IEC 17011—"Conformity Assessment—General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies"

The two-day workshop will be held at ANSI’s headquarters in Washington, DC, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Any corporations, organizations, government agencies, and others that are issuing certificate-based training or education courses, as well as stakeholders (such as human resource directors) who are accepting individuals with certificates within their organizations, are encouraged to attend. A discount is available for ANSI members.

For more information on this course and other ANSI course offerings, visit ANSI’s education and training web site.