PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., May 2, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Smart Card Alliance today announced that it has awarded certifications to more than 200 executives globally as part of the Certified Smart Card Industry Professionals (CSCIP) program, the smart card industry's only standardized certification program. The CSCIP program prepares professionals to gain advanced levels of smart card industry knowledge and applications experience, and then move on to complete training and pass a multi-part exam developed by leading smart card industry experts and international industry associations.
The next CSCIP exams will be offered May 16 at the 2013 NFC Solutions Summit, and June 20 at the CardWare 2013 Conference, with a full-day prep workshop available prior to each exam.
"The CSCIP certification has become the benchmark for executives in increasingly competitive markets where proven expertise is critical," said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. "Through our corporate and individual training programs, and workshops at industry conferences, we are giving professionals the training and tools to earn the certification and differentiate themselves from their peers. At the same time, participation in these programs demonstrates employers' commitment to maintaining highly skilled workers."
Since the program's inception in 2009, the Alliance has continued to update its training materials to reflect industry changes, and has added two specialized certifications - CSCIP/Payments (CSCIP/P) and CSCIP/Government (CSCIP/G). The Alliance's CSCIP Smart Card Technology and Applications Training Course Modules serve as the primary review materials for the CSCIP certification exam, and include more than 300 pages of text, charts, and graphics. A full day CSCIP training and exam preparation class led by seasoned smart card industry experts further solidifies the technical and broad smart card business applications training experience.
"In my experience, the process of studying for my CSCIP exam was vital to my growth and increased my understanding of smart card technology and applications," said CSCIP/G Lolie Kull, managing consultant at HP Enterprise Services. "Being a Certified Smart Card Industry Professional has enhanced my overall knowledge and allowed me to meet my career goals. I am grateful to the Smart Card Alliance for establishing this program and know that others will benefit as well."
"With the United States moving to EMV chip payments, it is essential for those of us in the payments industry to have a deep understanding of smart card technology and financial applications," said James F. Lock III, executive director, Treasury Services Public Sector & Healthcare Solutions at J.P. Morgan. "I found the CSCIP/P modules to be a great way to become fully educated on smart cards and their use in payments and financial transactions, while earning the certification is becoming an industry differentiator." Lock was amongst the first executives to earn his CSCIP/P and is also a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP).
Many global organizations with a significant number of employees have opted for the Smart Card Alliance CSCIP corporate training package. The package brings expert certified trainers to the company's facility for a two-day training course and certification exam, saving travel expenses and reducing the time needed to get everyone in the organization trained. Already, more than a dozen companies have successfully completed corporate training for North American and international staff.
"CSCIP certification is our goal for each and every employee," said Kevin Kozlowski, vice president of XTec Incorporated. "The depth of knowledge it represents sets our people apart as experts in the field of government identity, credential and access management."
A registry of certified CSCIP professionals is available on the Smart Card Alliance LEAP/CSCIP website. Additional information on applying for the CSCIP certification program and signing up for upcoming training courses and exams, visit the Smart Card Alliance website at http://www.smartcardalliance.org/pages/activities-leap.
About LEAP
LEAP is a individual membership option offered by the Smart Card Alliance open to all individual professionals working in the smart card industry in the United States and worldwide, regardless of whether their organization is a current member of the Smart Card Alliance. LEAP members have access to the following members-only benefits: the LEAP Web site containing a comprehensive library of educational materials such as Smart Card Alliance reports, white papers, videotaped workshops, past webinars recordings and conference presentations; a social networking site to meet and share information with other LEAP members; private webinars and briefings on relevant industry topics; special networking receptions; and discounts to events and services.
About CSCIP
LEAP members can apply to be accepted into the Certified Smart Card Industry Professional (CSCIP) certification program. The program provides experienced smart card industry professionals a path to be accredited as a Certified Smart Card Industry Professional. The Smart Card Alliance has developed a comprehensive body of knowledge on smart card technology and applications that will prepare accepted candidates for the CSCIP Exam. The program is administered and reviewed annually for relevance and updates by the Smart Card Alliance Professional Development Committee, comprised of Leadership Council-level members and board members of the Smart Card Alliance Board of Directors.
Membership information and fees for LEAP and CSCIP are found at http://www.smartcardalliance.org/pages/activities-leap. For more information, contact the Smart Card Alliance at 1-800-556-6828 or email the LEAP administrator at LEAPinfo@smartcardalliance.org.
About the Smart Card Alliance
The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology.
Through specific projects such as education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums, the Alliance keeps its members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought. The Alliance is the single industry voice for smart cards, leading industry discussion on the impact and value of smart cards in the U.S. and Latin America. For more information, please visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org.