Diana Singhavong American Nat ional Standards Inst i tute

Pat Fox

Laure-Jeanne Davignon Inters ta te Renewab le Energy Counc i l

February 14, 2013

ANSI-IREC Accreditation Program

Audio Tips

•  Make sure you have selected the correct option under Audio Mode

•  If you are joining us via telephone, please be sure to enter your “Audio Pin”

•  Raise your hand or send us a chat message to ask questions

•  Turn off wireless devices or keep them away from your computer

What is ANSI-IREC?

Why ANSI-IREC?

Growth of clean energy

sector

Proliferation of training programs

Confusion

The Answer

q Align training with jobs q Differentiate quality training

q Provide programs with a means to demonstrate market value

q Increase consumer confidence and safeguards

How?

ANSI-IREC provides third-party verification that programs meet a national standard (IREC Standard 14732:2013) validated by the renewable energy and energy efficiency industry

Quality training with market value

A Unique Approach

Technical Content

Educational Processes and Management

Benefits to Programs

q Promotes high quality program design and implementation

q Distinguishes programs with a national recognition

q Provides an edge for enrollment, marketing and funding proposals

Benefits to Programs

q Aligned with industry-recognized credentials and standards

q Training dollars invested wisely q Students “trained as advertised”

—Roy Swift

Value of the Accreditation Process

What did pilot participants have to say about the process?

Value of the Accreditation Process

All accredited organizations agreed/strongly agreed that accreditation process:

¡  Would provide differentiation and a competitive advantage when competing with other certificate awarding entities in the industry

¡  Is a quality check on current operations

“Due to this process, we have implemented a number of great quality control measures.” -Survey respondent

Value of the Accreditation Process

According to the accredited organizations, the most valuable aspects of the accreditation experience include:

q  Communication/active participation from program staff

q  Assessors’ expertise

q  Third-party validation of program

q  Improvement of organizational structure and curricula

q  Continued quality improvement

Lessons Learned from an Accredited Organization

Nicole Rice, Midwest Renewable Energy Association MREA Photovoltaic Site Assessment Certificate MREA Solar Thermal Site Assessment Certificate

Process Overview

1) Demonstrate Initial Eligibility ¡ Online Preliminary Application

2) Provide Evidence and Documentation ¡  “Demonstrate”

3) Onsite Assessment ¡ Role of assessment team ¡ Role of onsite

IREC Standard 14732:2013

www.irecusa.org

Market Value

Industry validated Job Task Analysis

Quality training matched to

employer needs

Linkage to industry

Linkage with Industry The certificate-awarding entity shall maintain relationships with the subject industry to ensure the continued currency and market value of the certificate

Employers

Associations

Workforce Dev.

Job Task Analysis

10.2 Job Task Analysis Basis for Curriculum or Syllabus: The certificate-awarding entity shall base the certificate program on a current, valid job task analysis (JTA) that has been developed using generally accepted procedures and includes the following:

a) An objective or scope that defines the overall job, including conditions and criteria b) A list of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) that define the job c) Criticality ratings for each KSA d) Criteria used for validating the JTA

Systematic Program Plan

Any one of several processes recognized by education and training professionals that documents the creation or revision of educational programs, workshops, or courses using inter-related components of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation.

Systematic Program Plan

q Use of criterion-referenced instruction

q Analysis, program design, development, implementation, and evaluation integrated

q Defined curriculum for each program q Syllabus for each course

q Instruction conforms to syllabus and curriculum

Management System

q Documentation q Document control q Internal audit q Management review

q Communication of internal audit results

The review of an entity’s policies and procedures to determine the entity’s conformance with them.

Assessment of Learners

q Written examination required q Assessments must be criterion-referenced

Assessment of Learners

q Requirements for development, administration and scoring •  Secure •  Routinely reviewed •  Provisions for learners with special needs •  Protocols for those administering •  Criterion referenced passing score •  Inter-rater reliability

Other Requirements

Policies and Procedures

Personnel

Facilities, Tools and Equipment Online Delivery

Safety Legal Entity,

Financial Viability

Meeting the Requirements

Documented compliance

Evidence of implementation

Verified on paper and during onsite

Want to Learn More?

Workshop May 7-8 Washington, DC Email Diana to Register dsinghavong@ansi.org

Heading: Verdana 24 Text: Verdana 18

www.ansi.org/ansi-irec dsinghavong@ansi.org patfox@irecusa.org

Questions?

Program Fees

Application fee $3,000.00 On-site assessment and document review $1,250.00 per assessor per day, plus travel expenses. Fees include: Cost per assessor per number of days required; assessor review of application and all supporting documents; assessor preparation of draft and final assessor report; onsite assessment; ANSI staff coordination of assessment process. Travel expenses include: transportation, meals, and accommodations during days of the assessment. Fees associated with any corrective actions are $1,250 per assessor per day and include: Assessor review of corrective actions, assessor clearance of corrective actions, ANSI staff coordination of corrective action process. If additional subject matter experts (SMEs) are required, the applicant organization will be assessed an additional fee of $1,250 per day per SME, plus travel expenses.