(ANSI: New York) -- Continuing education programs are growing in popularity as employees in a variety of industries work to keep up with new technologies and business strategies. According to a report released recently by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 27 percent of the American workforce participated in a work-related continuing education course during 2004–05.

With a growing number of education and training providers in the marketplace, demonstrable markers of quality are more important than ever for consumers and companies looking to make the best educational investment.

The International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), a member and accredited standards developer of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), has developed ANSI/IACET standards that measure all aspects of an educational provider's program development.

ANSI/IACET 1-2007—“ANSI/IACET Standards for Continuing Education and Training” provides a framework for continuing education programs:

•    The establishment of an appropriate responsibility and control system
•    The adoption of an analytic approach to establishing learning needs
•    A plan to establish and execute a quality learning event
•    The establishment of appropriate assessment criteria
•    The need to monitor and improve the learning process to achieve desired learning outcomes.

A diverse array of organizations rely upon ANSI/IACET 1-2007 to ensure the quality of their educational programs, including professional associations, colleges and corporate universities, and government agencies. Several members of the ANSI Federation offer training programs for the standardization community that are based on the guidelines outlined in the ANSI/IACET standards:

•    The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) offers courses on wide variety of topics relevant to those who work with NFPA standards, including codes for electrical safety, automatic sprinkler systems, fire and life safety, and more.
•    The American Society for Quality offers training programs related to the management system standards of the International Organization for Standardization, including instruction on how to implement ISO 14000—“Environmental management systems,” requirements for ISO 9001—“Quality management systems,” and internal auditor training for the use of several additional ISO standards.
•    SAE International hosts the SAE Professional Development Learning Center, which provides online and in-person learning opportunities in aerospace, automotive, and commercial-vehicle engineering.

For more information, visit www.ansi.org/news_publications/news_story.aspx?menuid=7&articleid=1912.

To learn more about the ANSI/IACET Standards for Continuing Education and Training, visit www.iacet.org.