ISO/IEC 17024

ISO/IEC 17024
Title	ISO/IEC 17024
Status	Published
Year	2012
Org	International Organization for Standardization; International Electrotechnical Commission; International Accreditation Forum; International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation

ISO/IEC 17024 ISO/IEC 17024 is an international standard that specifies criteria for certification bodies that certify persons against defined competence requirements. It establishes requirements intended to ensure impartiality, consistency, and competence of personnel certification, aligning with broader conformity assessment frameworks used by International Organization for Standardization, International Electrotechnical Commission, International Accreditation Forum, World Trade Organization, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and national bodies such as British Standards Institution, American National Standards Institute, Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle, Standards Australia.

Overview

The standard was developed through technical committees including ISO/Technical Committee 176, ISO/TC 212, and liaison with IEC/Technical Committee 3 and influenced by accreditation schemes like European co-operation for Accreditation, International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, Joint Commission, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Food and Agriculture Organization. Notable organizations that adopt or reference the standard include European Commission, World Health Organization, International Civil Aviation Organization, International Maritime Organization, International Labour Organization, and national regulators such as Federal Aviation Administration, Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada, Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration. Historical contributors include experts associated with British Standards Institution, Association of Test Publishers, American Society for Quality, and regional bodies like Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation, Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation.

Scope and Requirements

The scope defines requirements for development, maintenance, and operation of a scheme to certify individuals in contexts ranging from professional licensure to sectoral qualifications referenced by European Qualifications Framework, Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC), Basel Committee on Banking Supervision frameworks, and vocational schemes used by International Labour Organization programs. Requirements address governance structures influenced by models used by International Organization for Standardization, International Electrotechnical Commission, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and norms propagated by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The standard mandates processes for role analysis, job task analysis, psychometric assessment, and examination design drawing on practice from American Educational Research Association, Prometric, Pearson VUE, and professional colleges such as Royal College of Physicians, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Royal Society of Medicine.

Certification Body Processes

Certification bodies applying the standard establish impartial governance and management systems comparable to those implemented by Lloyd's Register, SGS S.A., Bureau Veritas, TÜV SÜD, and Intertek Group. Processes include scheme development, candidate application, assessment, examination, recertification, and appeals modeled after procedures used by The Joint Commission, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Institute of Risk Management, and educational assessment practices from Educational Testing Service and Cambridge Assessment. Personnel requirements reference competency frameworks from World Health Organization, International Council of Nurses, American Medical Association, and specialist registries such as General Medical Council and Engineering Council.

Accreditation and Compliance

Accreditation to the standard is conferred by national and regional accreditation bodies including United Kingdom Accreditation Service, PCA (Poland), COFRAC, DAkkS, ANAB, INMETRO, and panels coordinated by International Accreditation Forum and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation. Compliance assessment often interacts with regulatory oversight from entities like European Medicines Agency, Bank for International Settlements, Federal Communications Commission, and Environmental Protection Agency. Legal and contractual frameworks invoke notions familiar to WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, European Court of Justice, Council of the European Union, and sector regulators such as Ofcom and Civil Aviation Authority.

International Adoption and Impact

Adoption has been documented across regions by organizations such as Health Care Without Harm, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, and national ministries including Ministry of Health (UK), Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (Germany), Ministry of Education (France). Sectors influenced include aviation, maritime, healthcare, construction, finance, and information technology, with uptake by bodies like International Air Transport Association, International Maritime Organization, European Banking Authority, International Federation of Accountants, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association, and certification providers like Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Oracle Corporation. Cross-border recognition initiatives reference instruments such as Lisbon Recognition Convention, Bologna Process, and regional agreements including Trans-Pacific Partnership elements affecting professional mobility.

Criticisms and Revisions

Critiques have emerged from stakeholders including professional societies such as Royal College of Surgeons, American Bar Association, International Council of Nurses, and trade unions like UNI Global Union regarding cost, accessibility, and potential bureaucratization mirrored in debates involving European Trade Union Confederation and BusinessEurope. Revisions have been informed by inputs from ISO/TC 176, ILAC, IATF, CEN, and national standard bodies, with updates reflecting concerns raised in reports by OECD, World Bank, Transparency International, and academic analyses from Harvard University, Oxford University, London School of Economics and Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Category:Standards