ISA certification program Web page launched; lists requirements, exam dates

Current information about the Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society’s (ISA) new Certified Automation Professional (CAP) program is now available on the ISA Web site.

By Control Engineering Staff June 17, 2004

Current information about the Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society ’s (ISA) new Certified Automation Professional (CAP) program is now available on the ISA Web site. The new Web page contains up-to-date material about the program, including eligibility requirements, exam dates, key knowledge and skills, and a downloadable detailed program handbook . A CAP study guide may also be purchased from the site. The first CAP exam is scheduled for Aug. 7 in Houston during the ISA Expo.

ISA began development of the program last winter to establish an identity for automation professionals and provide recognition for those working in the automation and controls field. “ISA looked at a certification in automation because of the key role automation plays in industry today,” said Vernon Trevathan, chair of the CAP steering team. Unlike other job tasks essential to the manufacturing industry, he continued, automation is currently not regulated through any certification program at all.

A recent study by ISA shows interest in the CAP program is high, with 72% of those responding to the survey expressing a desire to obtain the new certification. Said Nick Sands of DuPont and a member of the CAP job analysis panel: “ISA, working with experts in the field, has defined the body of knowledge that automation professionals should know and now provides the professional identity and recognition for these professionals through the CAP program.”

Visit the ISA Web site to learn more. Click here to read a previous Control Engineering article about the CAP program .

—Jeanine Katzel, senior editor, Control Engineering, jkatzel@reedbusiness.com