by Shane Henson — January 30, 2013—The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. voluntary standardization system, and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council Inc. (IREC) have announced that the ANSI-IREC program for the accreditation of renewable energy and energy efficiency certificate programs has completed its pilot phase and is now accepting general applications.
The program, which began in pilot form in January 2012, evaluates certificate-awarding schools, colleges and other institutions against requirements for equipment, curriculum, facilities, administration, and personnel set forth in the IREC Standard 14732: 2013, General Requirements for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Certificate Programs. According to IREC, this national standard provides a foundation for the accreditation of certificate programs providing energy efficiency and renewable energy-related training.
Accreditation under the ANSI-IREC program validates to students, policymakers, funders, and employers that programs have demonstrated meeting all requirements in the standard, and provides third-party verification that certificate programs have demonstrated meeting the requirements for issuing a market-valued certificate, say ANSI and IREC. Students who have graduated from an ANSI-IREC accredited program are expected to improve the quality of work in the marketplace and help to establish benchmarks for the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector.
