1. QUALITY ASSURANCE FOR INDUSTRY CERTIFICATIONS MSSC EXAMPLE
Certified Production Technician (CPT) & Certified Logistics Technician (CLT) Training & Certification Systems
Briefing by: Leo Reddy, Chair and CEO MSSC
Western Pathways Conference, May 31, 2018

2. GROWING IMPORTANCE OF INDUSTRY CERTIFICATIONS
Increasingly popular tool to: upskill workforce, reduce student debt, and provide good-paying jobs to those with less than 4-year degree
2014 WIOA definition of a “post-secondary credential” gave first place to “an industry-recognized certificate or certification”
Many states now giving $1000+ incentives to high schools for each student securing industry certifications.
Growing articulation agreements allowing high school students to get both high school and college credit for industry certifications

3. NEED FOR COMMON DEFINITION OF QUALITY ASSURANCE
Absence is creating conditions for exploitation and potentially wasted public funds
Federal and state agencies need guidelines for public funding
Industry seeking consistent, mature, nationally portable certifications, not fragmented state and regional

4. EXISTING LEGAL DEFINITION
Based on 10 US Code 2015, National Defense Authorization Act stipulates that DoD and DHS support will be limited to those certifications that meet following quality assurance criteria:
Accredited by a nationally-recognized third-party personnel certification accreditor; or
Used by an entire industry or sector; or
Endorsed by a nationally-recognized trade/industry association or organization representing a significant part of that industry or sector.

5. Quality Assurance Role in Apprenticeships
May 2018 President’s Task Force on Apprenticeship Final Report Recommendation #4
“To rely on standards-based, nationally portable, industry- recognized credentials as a key element of Industry- Recognized Apprenticeship program quality assurance and accountability, the public-private sector partners implementing these programs should articulate the requirements for standards-based, nationally portable, industry-recognized credentials’’

6. MSSC Example
Nation’s “Gold Standard” for training & certifying core competencies for front-line work in mfg. and logistics
Meets both NDAA and Apprenticeship TF requirements
Third party accredited: Under ISO Quality Standard (Personnel Certification) for both M&L
Represents entire industry and offers industry-based standards: Over corporations involved in standards development & nat’l. validation
Endorsed by NAM for both M&L
Nationally portable and deliverable: through network of 2250 MSSC-trained instructors 1300 MSSC-authorized test sites, most at community colleges and secondary schools, and 95 technical field reps in 50 states

7. Other Examples
Several other examples of well-established, high quality, nationally portable industry certifications that meet most or all of NDAA & TF specs:
CompTIA
National Council for Construction Education & Res. (NCCER)
Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)
National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS)
American Welding Society (AWS)
APICS
SME
American Society for Quality (ASQ)
Institute for Supply Management (ISM)
American Petroleum Institute (API)

8. Contact Info:
Neil Reddy
Executive Director
MSSC E:
T: x2221 W: