To further its goal of providing the water quality industry and consumers with technically trained and certified professionals, the WQA Professional Certification Program now accepts and encourages hands-on technical equipment training classes for recertification credit. Such classes may be found at national and local meetings and conventions, as well as at company training sessions. As with all other outside seat-time credit, the sponsoring organization is responsible for submitting the necessary course content information to WQA in advance. The guidelines below provide further detail on procedures and class eligibility. Courses must be pre-approved for recertification credit. No credit will be allowed after a hands-on training course has been completed.
Hands-On Training Accreditation Procedures
- All approvals for recertification credit must be obtained in advance of the class presentation.
- The organization sponsoring the training is responsible for submitting all paperwork and class information to WQA. (Forms will be available at www.wqa.org)
- All paperwork and class information must be submitted no less than three weeks in advance of the class presentation.
- All speakers MUST submit at least 80 percent of their completed presentation slides AND a full, detailed outline of the class topics and content. Recertification credit applications missing the slides and detailed outline will not be considered.
- WQA will post the upcoming training on its Approved Seminar Calendar and link to the host organization’s website and schedule.
Hands-On Training Credit Eligibility Requirements
- Participation in public training sessions, such as local meetings, must be open to all interested manufacturers. The sponsoring organization may limit participation based on technical and water industry-related content and space considerations. The sponsoring organization must issue the limiting guidelines in advance to all interested participants.
- Private training session classes within a manufacturing company for its employees and representatives will only be eligible for credit if the technical portion of the class material can be made available to all interested parties outside the company. If training is accredited by WQA, the company must post notices on its website and through WQA’s Approved Seminar Calendar of the upcoming training.*
- Hands-on training is intended for employees involved with specification, installation and repair of water quality equipment; therefore, only classes focusing on such subjects are eligible for recertification credit. Business software training classes, etc. are not eligible.
- The use of hands-on training classes to blatantly and/or excessively sell a product, to provide information on a product’s market position, pricing or to downgrade a competitor’s product is not acceptable. Any company found involved in such activities will be barred from further WQA accreditation.