(ANSI: Washington, D.C.) -- Twenty-one federal government representatives from 10 different agencies met at the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) headquarters in Washington, D.C., for the third “Interagency Best Practices—ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024” meeting on April 11, 2012. The biannual meetings provide an opportunity for agency representatives to share insights and consider possible models for creating or implementing credentialing programs, both within and outside their agency, that will foster a more robust and successful U.S. workforce.

While the government and private sectors continue to focus on job creation as a critical component of economic recovery, the skills gap has left 3 million jobs vacant in the United States today. Concrete, effective solutions are needed to diminish this divide, and quality, standards-based credentialing is one tool that can help better meet the needs of future job-seekers and employers.

The biannual meetings are intended to assist government agencies, the private sector, and the public in understanding the essential components of certification and to help educate individuals to seek only certifications with market value.

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