Professional Standards Institute Announces New Reengineered Professional Certification Programs

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Professional Standards Institute

certification program that provides a wide variety of options to include three levels of certification, area specializations, and certification endorsements

ROCKLEDGE, FL (PRWEB) December 22, 2010

Professional Standards Institute (PSI), a professional certification and education association established in 1997, today announced the release of a completely reengineered certification program that provides a wide variety of options to include three levels of certification, area specializations, and certification endorsements. In addition, new re-certification guidelines and the web site have been completely redeveloped from the ground up.

“We have spent the last three years researching and redeveloping our program. We have taken a ‘real world’ approach with our certification programs by providing credentials that reflect a level of knowledge and capability an individual has attained,” said G. Allen Harris, Executive Director. “Most credentials from other certification organizations simply describe the area in which an individual is certified. Our credentials go a step further and indicate the knowledge level of the certification holder.”

Professional Standards Institute now offers three levels of certification: Associate Level, Senior Level, and Master Level. The Associate Level is an “entry-level” certification for those individuals starting out in a specific field. The Senior Level certification is for those individuals who have attained an advanced level of expertise and knowledge in their field. It is recommended that an individual have at least five years of experience in their field prior to applying for the certification. The Master Level certification is for those seasoned professionals who have attained a broad expert knowledge and mastery in their chosen field. It is strongly recommended that an individual have at least ten years of experience in the field prior to applying for the certification.

“The certifications offered by Professional Standards Institute are vendor-neutral, role-based, and are very appropriate to many functions within an organization,” said Clayton Lundy, President of JCL Enterprises, Inc. “There are several positions within most organizations that are directly related to their professional certifications.”

In addition to three levels of certification, area specializations and certification endorsements are available for some certifications at the Senior and Master levels. Specializations identify unique areas within a certification field that an applicant has attained specialized knowledge, such as information technology or information security. Endorsements identify additional skill sets that can be applied within a certification field, such as educator/trainer, project lead, or consultant. Specializations and endorsements increase the value of a certification by indicating that an applicant can apply their knowledge uniquely within a certification field.

An important aspect of any certification program is how re-certification is accomplished and evaluated. Professional Standards Institute has reengineered the guidelines for re-certification for all programs. Re-certification can be accomplished through a combination of education, full-time employment, and teaching experience, which can be submitted on-line. A simple Professional Development Credit (PDC) program has been established to evaluate a certification holder’s accomplishments for re-certification purposes. Each level of certification has a specific amount of PDC’s to accumulate during the three-year certification period. The new PDC requirements provide for valuable continued professional development in a field.

"We have found PSI's certifications to be valuable assets on the resumes of our contract candidates, primarily because they represent real-world experience and hands-on expertise," said Daniel James, CEO at Larkin Industries, Inc. "Anyone can memorize facts and parrot them on a certification exam. PSI's exams ensure that candidates actually know what they're talking about."

Professional Standards Institute started a new, free membership program. Individuals must become a member prior to applying for certifications. PSI is currently looking for Affinity Programs for its members.

The final piece of Professional Standards Institute’s reengineering efforts is the redevelopment of the PSI web site, designed to be more intuitive, simple to use, and easy to find information. A certification transcript page has been added to display current and past certifications, testing history, and certification logos available for download and use on personal web sites, resumes, and business cards. In addition, certification verification has been added to the web site. Certificate holders can provide a verification password to employers and potential employers that can be easily entered on the new web site to verify a certification.

“We have plans for many additional offerings. First and foremost, we are working with new Subject Matter Experts for the development of new certifications in business, information technology, quality, and education,” said G. Allen Harris, Executive Director. “In addition, we will soon be offering self-paced continuing education courses and instructor-taught professional development courses. We are also developing new education and research fellowship programs. These will provide exciting new opportunities for our members.”

Obtaining professional certification is extremely beneficial to individuals because it proves to potential and current employers an advanced level of knowledge in a field. Professional Standards Institute’s certifications go a step further by ensuring that this knowledge is obtained through experience and not merely bookwork.

Professional Standards Institute is dedicated to the establishment, development, and preservation of high professional standards and ethics. For more information, please visit http://www.ProfessionalStandardsInstitute.com.

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