RP 528A - Technician Development Program Guidelines: Rationale

The primary goal of a fleet technician certification program is professional development of the technical skills and knowledge required for competent performance of the fleet technician.

To certify is "to attest as being true or as represented or as meeting a standard." [1] Certification, as contemplated here is a credentialing process by which knowledge is individually assessed, either by testing or observation, and measured against a predetermined criteria, or benchmark. If the results of such assessment meet or surpass the established benchmark the individual is certified that they have demonstrated the knowledge required for competency in the subject area.

[1] Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Eleventh Edition  , Online version.

Certification implies that the underlying knowledge has been attained through education, training, practice, or a combination thereof. An interdependency exists between the training and certification processes in that the knowledge necessary to attain certification is derived from training, and, to the extent that certification represents a measurement against a standard, certification may drive training content. In establishing a fleet technician certification program, training must be considered, although training program development is not considered in this RP.