(ISO: Geneva) -- Personnel certification has become an important element of verifying the competence of an increasingly mobile and global workforce, underscoring the value of industry-recognized credentials that can be carried across national borders. In response to this growing need, a new and improved ISO/IEC international standard aims to harmonize the various procedures used around the world for certifying the competence of personnel in different occupations or professions.

ISO/IEC 17024:2012—“Conformity assessment—General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons,” provides a global benchmark for personnel certification programs to ensure that they operate in a consistent, comparable, and reliable manner worldwide, thereby allowing individuals’ skills to translate across national lines.

The breadth and scope of certification programs in existence today are tremendous: Programs exist for financial planners, public accountants, safety professionals, nondestructive testing experts, supply and purchasing management professionals, the construction industry, health care professionals, and hundreds more.

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