NewOrg Certifications Integration Team Update – September 2020

Overview

On April 21, 2020, the members of SSPC and NACE voted affirmatively to move forward with the proposed combination of the two organizations. By the end of May 2020, 13 integration teams were established to build out recommendations for how to integrate the various aspects of each organization with the goal of keeping the best parts of each existing program and exploring best practices from other organizations. One of these teams is focused on the certification of individuals. The “NewOrg” Certifications Integration Team is focused on integrating the existing certifications for inspectors, applicators and specialists, and their recommendations are intended to be completed by January 2021.

Guiding Principles and Integration Team Progress

The Combination Proposal, approved by the members of both organizations, outlines a few guiding principles, which the Certification Team will continue using as they make their recommendations:

• All current SSPC and NACE certification and accreditation programs will continue to be recognized and supported through the combination process.
• Existing certification holders will be provided with a path to recertify into the continuing program, when their certification comes due. Until the “NewOrg” certification program is launched, the cardholder will recertify under their respective program.
• Financial burden or economic impact to certified and accredited parties should be minimized.

The “NewOrg” Certifications Integration Team (the member task force mentioned above) is currently focused on the following certifications:

• Inspector Certifications such as NACE CIP and SSPC PCI
• Applicator Certifications such as SSPC CAS and NACE CCA
• Specialist Certifications such as NACE PCS and SSPC PCS

For each set of certifications, the Team is conducting program evaluations including a broad gap analysis and examination of all aspects of each program. Once this evaluation is complete, the Team will begin developing recommendations for approval by the Transition Team. These recommendations are intended to be completed by the end of January 2021.

Expectations for Certifications Holders of SSPC and NACE

Existing certification programs will continue to be supported until a new process is approved and an implementation schedule is created and shared with certification holders. In the meantime, all certification holders should keep their certifications current.

If you have comments/feedback for the “NewOrg” Certifications Integration Team, please email [email protected]  or [email protected] or attend one of the upcoming monthly Town Hall meetings:

October

Tuesday, October 13
6:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this webinar

Wednesday, October 14
2:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this webinar

More information about NACE and SSPC’s cooperative efforts can be found here.

*Please note: The name “NewOrg” a placeholder until an official name is selected for the new combined NACE-SSPC organization.

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