ANSI Accredits Manufacturing Skills Standards Council under Personnel Certification Accreditation Program

ANSI Accredits Manufacturing Skills Standards Council under Personnel Certification Accreditation Program

Initiative boosts skills, core competencies, and competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing workforce

NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. voluntary standardization system and a global leader in conformity assessment, is pleased to announce the accreditation of the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) under the Institute's Accreditation Program for Personnel Certification Bodies.

The MSSC is an industry-led training, assessment, and certification system focused on developing the core skills and knowledge needed by the nation's frontline production and material handling and distribution workers to demonstrate that they have acquired the necessary skills for the technology-intensive jobs of the 21st century. ANSI has accredited two MSSC certification programs – the MSSC-Certified Logistics Technician (CLT-AE) and the MSSC-Certified Production Technician (CPT-AE) – under  the international standard ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024, Conformity assessment - General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons.

"ANSI commends MSSC for achieving accreditation and demonstrating its commitment to the continual improvement of its credentialing programs," said Dr. Roy Swift, ANSI senior director of personnel credentialing accreditation programs. "This achievement marks the culmination of a multi-year effort to demonstrate compliance to a rigorous internationally recognized accreditation process. Accreditation by ANSI creates a valuable distinction for MSSC's credentialing programs. This value extends through the service network – from certification body, to certification holder, to employer, to the public served. These accredited credentials will undoubtedly be beneficial to our national and global economy."

"MSSC is proud of this achievement, including becoming the first national certification body to secure accreditation under ISO 17024 in the fields of manufacturing and logistics," said Leo Reddy, MSSC chairman and CEO. "ANSI accreditation strengthens our ability to certify the substantial population of frontline manufacturing production workers – about 9 million jobs in the U.S. – as well as frontline material handling and distribution workers, which represents another 6 million U.S. jobs."

"MSSC is a high-quality certification body that will continue to improve and develop our nation's manufacturing workforce," said Emily DeRocco, president of The Manufacturing Institute (the Institute), an affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).  "This focus on results—students proficient in frontline production skills—is why the Institute selected MSSC as a founding partner of the NAM-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System, which is now being deployed in high schools and colleges across the country to ensure an educated and skilled workforce for U.S. manufacturers."

The ANSI accreditation process is designed to increase the integrity, confidence, and mobility of certified professionals. Since the launch of ANSI's Personnel Certification Accreditation Program in 2003, the Institute has accredited 36 personnel certification bodies for 105 scopes  across a range of industry sectors involving over 5 million workers.

ANSI's accreditation program is based on the American National Standard (ANS) and international standard ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024. ANSI was the first to develop a personnel certification accreditation body in the U.S. to fulfill the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011:2004, Conformity assessment - General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies, which represents the highest internationally accepted practices for accreditation bodies.  ANSI's accreditation program is well respected throughout the world and is recognized as a world renown leader in the certification of persons.

About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and is a U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

About MSSC
The Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) is an industry-led training, assessment, and certification system focused on the core skills and knowledge needed by the nation's frontline production and material handling workers. The nationwide MSSC System, based upon industry-defined and federally endorsed national standards, offers both entry-level and incumbent workers the opportunity to demonstrate that they have acquired the skills increasingly needed in the technology-intensive jobs of the 21st century. For details, visit www.msscusa.org.

SOURCE American National Standards Institute