ANSI’s education programs and resources raise awareness of the importance of standards and conformity assessment to students, academia, and the public, and provide engagement opportunities for the next generation of standardization participants. These initiatives bring together the expertise of partners from across the standards and conformity assessment community, and support implementation of the education-related aspects of the United States Standards Strategy (USSS) – the document that guides how the United States develops standards and participates in the international standards-setting process.
The ANSI Committee on Education oversees all Institute initiatives related to standards and conformity assessment education and outreach. The committee works with the entire standards and conformity assessment community to introduce the importance of standards to the academic community and to the public at large, and continually seeks out partnerships and opportunities to engage and inform new constituents of all ages.
As coordinator of the U.S. voluntary standardization system, and as U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC, via the U.S. National Committee), ANSI is uniquely suited to develop educational activities that inspire students to get involved in standards and conformity assessment – critical components of a strong U.S. economy, health and safety, and quality of life.
The term “standardization” encompasses a broad range of activities and ideas – from the actual development of a standard to its promulgation, acceptance, and implementation. It also includes conformity assessment or compliance – the methods of evaluating whether products, processes, systems, services, and personnel comply with a standard. Like two sides of the same coin, standards development and conformity assessment work hand-in-hand.
Standards are literally everywhere! From your tablet and cell phone to building safety and environmental technologies, all innovation, products, and services are shaped and guided by standardization. They’re developed by thousands of engineers and experts around the world to ensure the products, processes, and systems we rely on every day are safe, reliable, efficient, and work effectively together.
USSS Strategic Initiative 10 outlines the goal of promoting and encouraging a standards-literate workforce by building standards awareness and competence among various communities, as follows:
- United States Standards Strategy (USSS), Strategic Initiative 10
The first step in getting young, emerging professionals and students (YES) – our future standardization leaders – involved in standards development activities is educating them about the importance of standardization.
ANSI offers an array of courses, activities, tools, and resources for emerging professionals and students of all ages to learn more about the impact of standards and conformity assessment, the American National Standards (ANS) process, ANSI’s role in international standards organizations, and opportunities for engagement in domestic and international standardization activities.
ANSI also provides comprehensive information on how emerging professionals and members of the general public – including students – can participate in domestic and international standards development activities.
Download and share these real-world examples of how standards and conformity assessment helped solve problems and drive progress across a variety of disciplines.
Lisa Rajchel
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