ISO/IEC 17024:2012 – General Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification of Persons

Key Definitions

• Certification Body: An organization that assesses and certifies individuals for professional competence.
• Certification Scheme: A documented framework that includes evaluation methods, competence criteria, and recertification rules.
• Impartiality: The absence of bias in assessment and decision-making.
• Surveillance: Ongoing monitoring to verify that certified individuals remain competent over time.
• Validity Period: The duration for which a certificate remains in force before recertification is required.

Clause-wise structure of ISO 17024

What are the requirements of ISO 17024?

Organizations aiming to implement ISO/IEC 17024 must address structural, operational, and procedural elements to ensure conformity with the standard. The process is not limited to issuing certificates but includes mechanisms for ensuring ongoing competence, integrity in decision-making and scheme development that reflects actual job roles. Below are some of the key requirements:

• The certification body must operate independently from training entities or other groups with commercial interests to maintain impartiality.
• Assessment methods must be valid, reliable, and periodically reviewed to reflect changes in the profession or industry.
• All decisions related to certification must be based solely on the candidate’s competence, documented through objective evidence.
• Certification schemes should include clear criteria for eligibility, assessment methodology, re-assessment, and revocation.
• Surveillance must be implemented when the profession demands continuous proof of competence over time.
• Complaints and appeals procedures must be accessible, fair, and handled without bias.
• Internal audits and periodic management reviews must be carried out to sustain system performance and correct identified issues.

To initiate your ISO/IEC 17024 certification journey, reach out to us at support@pacificcert.com

What are the benefits of ISO 17024 Certification?

Certifying individuals under ISO/IEC 17024 provides measurable advantages to certification bodies, industries, employers and professionals. These benefits are both operational and reputational:

1. Stronger international recognition for certified professionals, improving cross-border employment and credibility
2. Fair and impartial evaluation systems that build trust among stakeholders, clients, and regulators
3. Consistent certification outcomes through structured assessment schemes tailored to job-specific competencies
4. Lower risk of unqualified personnel in safety-critical or technically demanding roles
5. Improved governance and accountability within certification bodies through structured decision-making and audits
6. Better integration with national or international accreditation frameworks for mutual recognition
7. Improved workforce quality across industries that rely on certified individuals for performance and reliability

In the recent years, ISO/IEC 17024 is seeing widespread global use as industries prioritize reliable certification mechanisms. There has been a notable increase in demand for ISO/IEC 17024-conforming certifications in emerging economies, especially in sectors like renewable energy, infrastructure, digital skills and healthcare.

A trend toward integrated systems, combining ISO/IEC 17024 with ISO/IEC 17065 or ISO 9001 is also emerging, allowing organizations to manage product, system and personnel certifications under one framework. This alignment is helping both regulatory bodies and private sector entities reduce audit overlaps and improve efficiency.

ISO/IEC 17024 Certification Audit Checklist

An internal audit checklist helps identify readiness before undergoing third-party evaluation. Common elements include:

• Is there an impartial certification committee or review board?
• Are assessment methods documented, reviewed, and validated regularly?
• Is there a complaint and appeal procedure accessible to applicants?
• Are personnel qualified and periodically assessed for competence?
• Are confidentiality and data protection policies implemented for applicant data?
• Does your management system support documentation, audits, and corrective actions?
• Are certification schemes updated to reflect changes in legal, technological, or industry requirements?

ISO 17024 Certification Process and Procedure

The path to ISO/IEC 17024 certification typically includes these stages:

1. Gap Assessment
   Initial analysis of current systems and practices to compare against ISO/IEC 17024 requirements.
2. Implementation and Documentation
   Design and formalize certification schemes, assessment processes, decision-making policies, and management oversight.
3. Internal Audit and Review
   Conduct internal evaluations to confirm system effectiveness, identify gaps, and apply corrective actions.
4. Third-party Certification Audit
   Undergo external audit by an accredited body, including document review, interviews, and on-site evaluations.
5. Surveillance and Reassessment
   Maintain certification with regular surveillance audits and periodic scheme reviews.

Certification Timeline for ISO/IEC 17024

The implementation timeline varies depending on how developed your current processes are. For certification bodies starting from scratch, the process can take between 6 to 9 months. If your organization already uses other ISO management systems like ISO 9001 or ISO/IEC 17065, timelines may shorten to 4–6 months. Key timeline stages include scheme development, internal audit preparation, third-party audit and surveillance.

Certification Cost for ISO/IEC 17024

The cost of ISO/IEC 17024 certification depends on the complexity and volume of your certification schemes, the number of candidates processed annually, and the level of support needed. Costs involve auditor time, documentation reviews and surveillance fees. Internal resource allocation for scheme development, competence evaluation and complaint handling can also contribute to costs. Budgeting should also consider future recertification and audit cycles.

How Pacific Certifications Can Help?

Pacific Certifications offers accredited audits and certification services for ISO/IEC 17024. We specialize in assessing personnel certification bodies across sectors such as engineering, environmental health, IT, and safety. Our focus is on evaluating your actual system performance, not just documentation.

We assist with:

• Conducting readiness assessments before third-party certification
• Performing Stage 1 and Stage 2 certification audits
• Supporting scheme evaluation and operational reviews
• Providing training and awareness programs tailored to certification bodies

To initiate your ISO/IEC 17024 certification journey, reach out to us at support@pacificcert.com

ISO/IEC 17024 Training and Courses

Pacific Certifications offers ISO/IEC 17024-specific training programs designed to prepare teams for both implementation and audits:

• Lead Auditor Training – Equips professionals to conduct external third-party audits.
• Lead Implementer Training – For those responsible for planning and executing ISO/IEC 17024 implementation.
• Internal Auditor Training – Preparing internal auditors for certification audits

If your organization is planning to adopt ISO/IEC 17024, we can support your training needs. Contact us at support@pacificcert.com