Professional certification, trade certification, or professional designation, often called simply certification or qualification, is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task. Not all certifications that use post-nominal letters are an acknowledgement of educational achievement, or an agency appointed to safeguard the public interest.
The Canadian Securities Institute is a Canadian organization that offers licensing courses, advanced certifications, continuing education and custom training for financial services professionals in Canada and internationally.
The Project Management Institute is a U.S.-based not-for-profit professional organization for project management.
Quality Assurance International (QAI) is a U.S.-based international organic certification company that is authorized by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as "a USDA-accredited certifying agent that operates globally to certify organic operations to National Organic Program standards." It is a for-profit corporation, established in 1989, and headquartered in San Diego, California. It is one of the world's largest certifiers, operating in the United States, Canada, Latin America, European Union, and Japan.
American Water Works Association (AWWA) is an international non-profit, scientific and educational association founded to improve water quality and supply. Established in 1881, it is a lobbying organization representing a membership of around 50,000 members worldwide.
Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit. Accreditation is a specific organization's process of certification. According to the U.S. National Council on Measurement in Education, a certification test is a credentialing test used to determine whether individuals are knowledgeable enough in a given occupational area to be labeled "competent to practice" in that area.
Product certification or product qualification is the process of certifying that a certain product has passed performance tests and quality assurance tests, and meets qualification criteria stipulated in contracts, regulations, or specifications.
The Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering (ATMAE) sets standards for academic program accreditation, personal certification and professional development for educators and industry professionals involved in integrating technology, leadership and design.
The Air Movement and Control Association International, Inc. (AMCA) is an American trade body that sets standards for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment. It rates fan balance and vibration, aerodynamic performance, air density, speed and efficiency.
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is a sustainability organization operating in the U.S. and Canada that works across four pillars: standards, conservation, community, and education. The SFI was founded in 1994 by the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA). SFI is the world's largest single forest certification standard by area. SFI is headquartered in Ottawa and Washington, D.C.
The International Electrical Testing Association (NETA), formerly the National Electrical Testing Association, is a trade association dedicated to improving electrical testing standards in the United States and sharing those standards internationally. NETA is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a standards developing entity. It is guided by an active Board of Directors consisting of professionals within the electrical testing industry. The Board meets quarterly for official meetings. Board members also participate on various NETA committees, such as the Standards Review Council, Certification Exam, Membership, Finance, Association Development and Strategy, Promotions and Marketing, Nominations and Mission Based Programs.
IAPMO R&T was started in 1936 as a third-party listing agency specializing in plumbing and mechanical products. IAPMO R&T is accredited to certify products that meet the criteria of the Uniform Plumbing Code, Uniform Mechanical Code, Uniform Solar Energy Code, Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code and other nationally recognized codes and standards in North America.
Copper zinc water filtration is a high-purity brass water filtration process that relies on the redox potential of dissolved oxygen in water in the presence of a zinc anode and copper cathode. It uses dissolved impurities within water as constituent substrate, which are reduced to more physiologically inert compounds.
The Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) is a non-profit and non-governmental, professional association serving the construction management industry. The Association was formed in 1982. Current membership is more than 14,000, including individual CM/PM practitioners, corporate members, and construction owners in both public and private sectors, along with academic and associate members. CMAA has 29 regional chapters.
The Computing Technology Industry Association, more commonly known as CompTIA, is an American non-profit trade association that issues professional certifications for the information technology (IT) industry. It is considered one of the IT industry's top trade associations.
NSF is a product testing, inspection, certification organization with headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. NSF also offers consulting and training services worldwide.
National Registry of Food Safety Professionals (NRFSP) is a food safety certification for the restaurant, hotel, and quick service industry business administered by Environmental Health Testing. NRFSP was founded in 1998 through partnerships between the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and Professional Testing, Inc. and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, United States.
The National Green Building Standard (NGBS) is an ANSI-approved green building certification program, specifically focused on single-family and multi-family residential buildings, remodeling projects, and land developments.
Audio visual and Integrated Experience Association (AVIXA) is a non-profit organization for audiovisual companies and related professionals headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia. AVIXA was formed originally as the National Association of Visual Education Dealers in 1939 and has merged with other organizations and changed names several times since then, most recently from InfoComm International to AVIXA in 2017.
Point of use water filters are used in individual houses or offices to provide filtration of potable water close to the point of consumption. The related topic, Point of use water treatment describes full-scale water treatment options and technologies designed to serve communities when municipal water treatment fails or is unavailable.
