February is Career & Technical Education (CTE) month and NOCTI joins together with administrators, educators and students to not only raise awareness of CTE programs and their accomplishments and achievements, but to also emphasize the importance of CTE to our nation’s economy.
What Are Industry Standards?
CTE credentialing programs are generally organized into industry sectors or programs of study geared to secondary and postsecondary students and to address the needs of workforce development programs. Learners work their way through a program with a goal of learning industry relevant and needed skills and to earn a credential or certification. But how does an employer know a student who earned a specific credential really has the technical skills needed to fill a position?
Industry standards are the crucial qualifications a person needs to be prepared for success in a specific industry in today’s economy. While there are several organizations that provide industry standards, many organizations and state departments of education adapt the standards to measure industry needs for a particular occupation or for a specific region of a state or country. To ensure a CTE program, its curriculum, and the resulting credential or certification meets the industry standards, a partnership is formed between educators, administrators, business, and industry experts. This collaborative input establishes the certainty that each CTE program is academically integrated and aligns with the skills and knowledge employers seek in qualified employees. This same type of collaboration is used to develop NOCTI’s industry standards and competencies which serve as the foundation for NOCTI credentials.
Importance to Credentialing
Following industry standards gives validity and legitimacy to CTE credentials and certifications because they’re based on real-life input from today’s leaders. They empower students with the confidence that they’re learning the skills they need to be successful in their chosen career path and provide employers with the assurance that job candidates are highly qualified and will know what they’re doing in the field.
Evolving Industry Standards>
Like many things, industry standards evolve and update as technology advances. In some cases, new standards will need to be developed. For example, Additive Manufacturing (AM) has changed rapidly over the years and has integrated into the worlds of education, design, production, and manufacturing. It’s changing the world of manufacturing in many different ways. America Makes is the nation’s leading public-private partnership for additive manufacturing technology and education and has recognized the changing technology and need to validate a new set of skills. The organization partnered with NOCTI to develop the Additive Manufacturing Essentials Certification, which addresses the need for a highly agile, mobile additive workforce in a rapidly growing technical field.
NOCTI’s Role
NOCTI’s connection to industry associations like America Makes assists in ensuring current standards and high-quality credentials based on the standards exist and that learners entering the workforce have a validation of the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.
NOCTI is a national leader in creating high-quality CTE standards, credentials, and certifications. NOCTI also collaborates with organizations to develop standards and credentials for specific technical areas. Every credential and certification NOCTI offers is developed through collaborations with qualified Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and undergoes rigorous pilot testing to ensure the credentials validity through an evaluation of internal administration procedures that encourages review of the curriculum for effectiveness and alignment.
NOCTI has a reputation for being industry-driven and fully validated so when potential candidates show they have earned a NOCTI credential or certification, employers can be confident they are truly qualified and prepared for success.
Committed to Building a Workforce Through CTE
Industry-based certifications and credentials are a crucial assurance to employers that a potential candidate has earned industry-relevant skills and knowledge. NOCTI is proud to partner with organizations and industry leaders to continue to develop career pathways that build the nation’s workforce and enhance the nation’s economy. Are you interested in joining NOCTI’s Partner or Professional networks, becoming a Subject Matter Expert, or applying to be a Pilot Testing site? Please contact us.