Certification courses were formerly conducted solely by the APO Secretariat, but with the growing need for productivity specialists in the region, the flagship Accreditation Program started in 2018 elevated the role of NPOs to become accredited certification bodies (CBs) to expand the pool of competent productivity specialists in APO members. In 2021, the NPOs of Malaysia and Vietnam successfully completed their preparations and became the first batch of APO-accredited CBs. The NPOs of India, I.R. Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, and the Turkish Management Sciences Institute of Turkiye (TUSSIDE), a partner of the NPO of Turkiye, are expected to be accredited in 2023.

The APO Secretariat in collaboration with the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) organized a training course on Development of APO-certified Productivity Specialists, 7–18 November, in Kuala Lumpur. It introduced the latest techniques to improve efficiency and raise productivity, explained the standards and requirements for APO-certified Productivity Specialists based on APO-PS 101 Requirements for Productivity Specialists, discussed theoretical and practical knowledge of productivity improvement strategies at firm and organizational levels, and prepared participants to demonstrate their competencies to act as productivity consultants, trainers, promoters, and researchers. Thirty-four individuals from 13 APO member economies attended, representing professional staff of NPOs, academia, and public- and private-sector organizations. The sessions were conducted by two resource persons from Malaysia, and one each from the Philippines and Singapore.

This course serves as a prerequisite for participants to qualify as APO-certified Productivity Specialists. After completion, they will be guided in completing the certification requirements, enabling them to submit applications to become APO-certified Productivity Specialists.