The APO Accreditation and Certification Program is a strategic initiative to elevate the role of National Productivity Organizations (NPOs) and their affiliates in member countries to meet the twin objectives of developing them as APO-accredited certification bodies (CBs) to operate the certification scheme for productivity specialists and strengthening cooperation among NPOs for improving productivity. The program builds the capabilities of organizations and prepares them to produce proficient, reputable productivity professionals whose qualifications and credentials meet international standards. The aim of this initiative is to expand the role of NPOs and their affiliated organizations to meet future requirements for productivity specialists in the region. For certification and recertification of CBs to operate certification of persons schemes, the APO Accreditation Body (APO-AB) ensures compliance with standards, examines competence, verifies accredited scopes, and monitors the effectiveness of quality management systems of NPOs. NPOs qualified as APO CBs comply with the APO-AB 1003:2020 General Requirements for Certification Bodies: Certification of Persons Scheme.

The APO Secretariat in collaboration with the Vietnam National Productivity Institute organized a workshop on Requirements and Management System for the APO Certification of Persons Scheme, 7–9 December 2021. A total of 35 participants from 14 APO member countries attended, who were mainly professional staff of NPOs and affiliated organizations appointed as internal assessors or management representatives responsible for managing certification activities.

The workshop enhanced participants’ knowledge and understanding of the entire APO accreditation system, requirements for CB development under the APO-AB, documentation needed, internal audit process, techniques to conduct conformity assessments, and how to operate the productivity specialist certification scheme as APO-accredited CBs. Four resource persons from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam conducted the workshop. Success stories were shared by the first two APO-accredited CBs, the Malaysia Productivity Corporation Certification Body and Vietnam Productivity Specialist Certification Body. At present, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, and Turkey are in various stages of CB development projects. Many other NPOs also indicated willingness to undertake CB development projects in 2022.