Personnel certification bodies are more important than ever
A highly technical and networked society demands that players continuously acquire up-to-date knowledge and skills. Fewer and fewer people today can keep track of the current critical competencies within an industry, let alone across industries. This is a situation familiar to anyone who decides to purchase a car or a more complex electrical appliance. More and more consumers are turning to test reports from Stiftung Warentest, TÜV, or test portals before purchasing to get their bearings and evaluate the differences between manufacturers. In the area of professional training, personnel certifications play a comparable role. We explain the importance of personnel certification and what to look out for when selecting personnel certification bodies.
The professional training market is characterized by a hardly manageable variety of more or less known or unknown training providers and certifiers. They all issue certificates about the success of their participants in their training events, which are called certificates, certificates of attendance, etc.. Without extensive research, it is impossible to assess the meaningfulness of these documents.
Through standardized and transparent testing procedures based on internationally valid standards, independent personnel certification bodies such as PersCert TÜV determine whether people possess specific knowledge and skills. If these can be determined objectively, the personnel certification body issues a final certificate. These final certificates are not valid indefinitely but are renewed after a recertification procedure. The prerequisite for recertification is that the certified person keeps his knowledge up to date.
Importance of personnel certification for employees and companies alike
A wide range of occupational groups can be tested and certified. Our personnel certification body PersCert TÜV, for example, offers certified qualifications in the areas of production and technology, quality, sustainability, occupational safety and environmental protection, energy, IT and data protection, healthcare, security, and services and sales. With success: every year, around 30,000 people make use of the more than 750 certification programs offered by the independent and accredited personnel certification body PersCert TÜV. For good reason.
Employees benefit in many ways
- Opportunities for specialization: personnel certifications make it possible to specialize in a targeted way, to shape one’s own career path to fit exactly and to get closer to one’s dream job step by step.
- Door opener for attractive jobs: Personnel certifications are seals of quality. Especially when it comes to filling attractive positions or management positions, they are increasingly tipping the proverbial scales.
- Improved chances of promotion: Personnel certifications not only illustrate the competencies of a person, they also prove commitment and thus provide important arguments for the next step on the career ladder.
Advantages for companies
When choosing the right personnel certification body, it is also worthwhile for companies to invest in the personnel certification of their own employees. For the following reasons, among others:
- Uniform service and production standards
- Personnel certification helps to establish uniform standards of employee competence throughout the company.
- Improved competitive opportunities
- Tailored personnel certification programs keep companies one step ahead of the competition.
- International recognition
- Personnel certification procedures based on DIN EN ISO/IEC 17024 are recognized worldwide. This makes certifications globally traceable and comparable. This makes it clear to business partners and customers that the company’s own employees have received the best possible training in terms of competencies. In the case of personnel certification by PersCert TÜV, the quality standards “Made in Germany” apply.
- Targeted personnel development
- Personnel certifications are a first-class tool in the fight against the increasing shortage of skilled workers. You build up required competencies from your own ranks.
- Motivated employees
- Personnel certificates enable your employees to sharpen their own professional profile in a targeted manner. This contributes to their motivation and increases employee loyalty.
What should you look for when choosing a personnel certification body?
The status of a participant’s certification should be publicly documented, and interested parties should be able to ask about it at any time. In this way, doubts about the authenticity of a certificate or its content can be dispelled at any time. At the personnel certification body PersCert TÜV, for example, the personnel certifications are documented and can be viewed at www.certipedia.de.
Personnel certification bodies should assess in accordance with DIN EN ISO/IEC 17024, as is the case with PersCert TÜV. The DIN EN ISO/IEC 17024 standard defines internationally recognized requirements for personnel certification bodies. It is thus the basis for the high recognition of certificates in business and administration.
Conclusion: To master the rapid progress in an increasingly complex world, professional competencies are in demand. It is essential to know what knowledge and skills these qualifications actually comprise. After all, this scope is ultimately decisive for the quality of results of services or products that customers expect from companies and organizations expect from individuals. Personnel certification bodies help to makes the scope and currency of knowledge measurable.
