Global competitiveness amongst food manufacturers has led to an increasing demand for more highly trained professionals with the relevant knowledge, skills and competences. Market globalization necessitates the harmonization of job profiles, allowing professionals from different countries to advance their career. Professional certification provides validation of acquired knowledge, skills and competences.
Professional certification is the process by which a person proves that he or she has the knowledge, skills and competences necessary to perform a specific task or job. It has a two-fold objective:
- Provides employers with an assurance of an employee's competences.
- Guarantees that acquired knowledge, skills and competences of the professional (employee) have been independently validated by a structured and impartial certification scheme.
Some of the benefits for the applicants are:
- It demonstrates professional commitment to lifelong learning and excellence as a food professional.
- It provides the individual with a framework and pathway for professional development, thereby opening new career opportunities.
- It helps deriving effective job performance.
- It is a complement to work experience and helps differentiating from other job candidates.
- It helps finding positions easier to obtain, and may increase employees' salary.
- It increases recognition by peers, employers, and recruiters.
And the benefits for the employer are:
- It is a mean of verification that an employee has acquired the qualifications to competently perform her/his duties.
- It is a way to assess the training needs of employees as well as to program their future training activities.
- It is an incentive for employees training, since it provides professional recognition.
- It differentiates between hiring candidates.
- Properly trained employees leads to direct, measurable bottom-line benefits.
Foodcareers offers a certification scheme for the recognition of knowledge and skills of professionals working in specific fields of the food sector. Are you interested? Click here and you will find information on the certification scheme and the different certification profiles offered.