For Immediate Release
ASQ Celebrates Quality Milestone
Certifications Still Going Strong After 40 Years
Milwaukee, Wis., April 24, 2008 – In the world of quality improvement, achieving certification is viewed as a major source of personal accomplishment as well as a stepping stone to job advancement and higher salary. This year, the American Society for Quality (ASQ), the world’s leading authority on quality improvement, celebrates its 40th year of providing certification to quality professionals around the world.
Since 1968, ASQ has certified more than 160,000 professionals in a diverse range of industries. Certification, as defined by ASQ, recognizes that an individual has demonstrated a proficiency within, and a comprehension of, a specific body of knowledge at a point in time. Applicants for certification must meet specific criteria specific to the exam they’re taking. The work experience requirements vary depending on the type of certification.
The most popular certification is still the CQE (Certified Quality Engineer), which ASQ began offering in 1968, closely followed by auditor and Black Belt certifications. While most certifications still take place in the manufacturing industry, certifications within the service sector and certifications of quality professionals located outside of the United States are growing. Healthcare professionals as well as educators at the K-12 and university levels are also becoming more interested in certifications as individuals working within those professions begin to realize the value of continuous improvement initiatives.
According to Sally Harthun, ASQ certification manager, the value of certifications can’t be underestimated. “More quality professionals have learned that certification not only provides them with new skills and a higher proficiency level in their career, but they also look at it as a worthwhile investment in their organization’s future.”
Xhemile Heidenreich, a Six Sigma Green Belt at Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin, agrees. “Getting this certification not only allowed me to better learn how to streamline a process and improve overall work performance, but also how to help my team members reach their highest potential,” said Heidenreich. “I would definitely recommend this process to anyone who wants to grow both personally and professionally.”
An annual survey conducted by Quality Progress magazine also indicates that U.S. quality engineers who have achieved ASQ CQE status earn, on average, $3,718 more than their counterparts without a CQE certification. In addition, reliability engineers who are ASQ certified earn, on average, $12,083 more than their counterparts who aren’t certified.
Certification has been one of the top-rated ASQ benefits since 1991 and is endorsed by more than 125 corporations in the United States and worldwide. For more information on the benefits of certification, visit www.asq.org/certification/.
The American Society for Quality, www.asq.org, has been the world’s leading authority on quality for more than 60 years. With more than 93,000 individual and organizational members, the professional association advances learning, quality improvement and knowledge exchange to improve business results, and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide. As champion of the quality movement, ASQ offers technologies, concepts, tools and training to quality professionals, quality practitioners and everyday consumers, encouraging all to Make Good Great®. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., ASQ is a founding partner of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a prominent quarterly economic indicator, and also produces the Quarterly Quality Report.
