SISBEL application was accepted as a full member of the “International Personnel Certification Association” (IPC) on May 10, 2020. https://ipcaweb.org/index?p=MjYEQUALS

The application was done for the IPC MLA agreement after becoming IPC full member in soon time and SISBEL has been got as an MLA Full member of the IPC. http://www.ipcaweb.org/index?p=MjYEQUALS

IPC was established in 1995, under the name International Auditor and Training Certification Association (IATCA). To adapt to the market need for certification of professionals in a variety of categories, the role and name were changed in Chicago 2003 to International Personnel Certification Association, IPC. IPC’s main activity is to develop certification schemes for professionals. Although the focus of IPC is personnel certification, recognition of training providers and training courses are also part of our activities.

IPC’s objective is to promote the interests of certification bodies and serve the needs of society for the competence of professionals. IPC is also a “Scheme owner”, which means that IPC develops and owns Certification Schemes (Normative Documents). These schemes are specifying rules and frame requirements for competence, on which the certification body may elaborate.

IPC is not a certification body. All activities associated with examination and certification are executed by members of the IPC Multilateral Agreement (MLA).

IPC Multilateral Agreement (MLA) Multilateral Agreement (MLA)
It is an agreement between several parties to abide by common rules. The IPC Multi-Party Agreement is an agreement between full members of IPI to certify professionals while complying with IPC rules and complying with the certification requirements set out in approved IPC certification program documents. To become a member of the IPC MLA, the applying certification body must be accredited by a national accreditation body recognized by the International Accreditation Forum and meet the IPC requirements for MLA members.
Being a member of the IPC MLA is attractive as it entitles the member to certification under the IPC logo and gains international recognition. Read more about it under the link “IPC brand certification”.

More Details on IPC’s History
In 1993, following preliminary discussions in the USA, three organizations; the Registrar Accreditation Board USA (RAB), the Quality Society of Australasia (QSA), and the International Register of Certified Auditors UK (IRCA), convened in Singapore to explore the potential and benefits of establishing international certification criteria specific to quality management system auditors.

Following this meeting and subsequent discussion between all parties, the International Auditor and Training Certification Association (IATCA) was formally established in 1995, with Multi-lateral Agreements (MLA) based on the mutual recognition, via peer evaluation, of a quality management system (QMS) auditor certification and QMS auditor training provider approval programs, established in 1998.

As long as the requirement for personnel certification has extended into many more contexts within the business, industry and government IATCA members recognized, during the IPC AGM held in Chicago in 2003, that the management system formed only a small part of the personnel certification market. To accommodate those changes IATCA has expanded its remit to include and contribute within those other areas and evolved into IPC. In 2004 IATCA was reconstituted as IPC, the International Personnel Certification Association, a non-profit-making organization, now focusing on the certification of various professionals and not just quality and environmental management system auditors.

IPC Membership
(a) Full Members;
(b) Executive Partners;
(c) Associate Members;
(d) Honorary Members;

a) Full Member
Full Member means an organization that has in place a personnel certification scheme that has been certified, by an accreditation body that is a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) or by an accreditation body member of a regional member of IAF, as meeting the requirements of ISO/IEC 17024:2012 and approved IPC criteria and which is admitted as a Member under clause 12.

b) Executive Partnership
Executive Partnership is open to associations of PCBs interested in the activities of IPC. Executive partners enjoy the privileges of a Full member and are entitled to request the IPC Board of Directors to develop an IPC specification for their members.

c) Associate Member
Associate Member means:
– a personnel certification body that is not yet accredited as required for Full Membership;
– an organization that provides training or examination of competencies defined by IPC for a personnel certification scheme;
– an industry association; and another interested party that is admitted as a Member under clause 12.

d) Honorary Members
Honorary Member means an organization, including a member of IAF, which may be admitted as a non-voting Member under Clause 12 and not be required to pay a joining fee or annual subscription.

IPC Membership Benefits
International Recognition and Acclaim
As an IPC member, the certificates you issue to professionals will be immediately recognized by other IPC members around the world, as well as by other organizations, with which IPC cooperates. You will also be a member of an international association
that establishes rules and regulations for the certification of professionals from various sectors, an association that is esteemed by other organizations in the field (IAF, ISO, etc.), and the market in general.

Increased Credibility/ Reliability and Prestige
Both the certificates issued by your organization and the performance of the professionals you certify will be viewed as conforming with a high set of standards, set by an association of organizations active in personnel certification and conformity
assessment that strives to increase the status of certified personnel on a global scale.
This leads to an instant increase in your organization’s prestige, as value is added to your certificates and your organization is viewed as one of those that seek to improve the standing of personnel certification worldwide.

Improvement of Certification and Management Systems
Both the certification and the management system your organization has implemented can be improved, through the exchange of ideas and expertise with other members and the Peer Evaluation IPC performs amongst its members, in order to verify that they conform to the standards it has set.

Increased Assurance
You will feel more confident of the outcome of your activities regarding personnel certification, as they will comply with the standards set by you and a group of other competent and successful organizations.

Increased Competence of Personnel
The professionals you certify will be increasingly competitive, as they will benefit from the expertise and knowledge you will be sharing with the other IPC members and a number of prestigious organizations in the field.

Added Value to End-Users
By improving the standing of the certification your organization offers, as well as the certification procedure worldwide, you will benefit from the satisfaction and confidence of the end-users in your products, thus expanding your prospects with them and improving the status of personnel certification within the market

Marketing Benefits
IPC promotes the activities of its members in as many ways as possible on an international scale. Upon joining, your organization will be listed among our current members on the IPC website. This list is mentioned to all those seeking information on personnel certification, either as end-users or as organizations. Lists of members are also included in a wide range of marketing material IPC distributes.

Networking Opportunities
You will join a team of highly competent and successful Personnel Certification Bodies and other organizations, which will enable you to benefit from their respective experience and expertise in personnel certification. You will be able to liaise with members from all over the world and exchange views and ideas on performing business.

Better Connection With The Market
Your networking options will also expand externally, through a variety of means such as the IPC promotion of its members, your appearance on the IPC website, the conferences and other functions on personnel certification IPC organizes or attends, etc.
You will be better known to professionals interested in certification and organizations seeking to employ these alike.

Interaction With Major Organizations
IPC has established a network of contacts with all major organizations in the conformity assessment market, which it plans to continually expand. Therefore, members can benefit both directly and indirectly from the expertise of organizations such as IAF, ISO, CASCO, Codex Alimentarius, etc.

Uniform Improved Performance
Being an IPC member can have positive effects both on the performance of your organization, which will operate according to guidelines that are set for all similar organizations, and on the performance of the professionals certified by you, which will
conform to the guidelines regulating it all over the world.

Guidance And Best Practice for Each Scheme
IPC aids its members and other parties interested in personnel certification and the development of certification schemes. Presently, the association is looking to act as a technical committee to such organizations, in order to promote and expand personnel certification in various sectors.

Participation in Business Improvement Efforts
You will have the opportunity to contribute to the improvement of personnel certification and the industry in general, thus being able to express views on and shape the direction you wish it to follow.

Recognition of Certification Schemes Accreditation Bodies Do Not Accredit
By recruiting the assistance of IPC in creating a new certification scheme that cannot yet be accredited, the credibility and potential of the scheme in question are instantly recognized worldwide and your organization can subsequently play a leading part in promoting it further.

http://ipcaweb.org