The itSMF UK has announced plans for a new certification programme for service management courses.

The Course Endorsement Scheme is intended to “ensure an appropriate level of educational quality and relevance in the development of service management best practice.”

Any course that is put forward on the endorsement scheme will go through a thorough evaluation undertaken by independent assessors from the itSMF UK, who will look at how the training is managed and delivered, the quality of the actual training, the delivery criteria and whether the course meets its overall objectives.

The key elements of the Course Endorsement Scheme are:

• Independent assessment - the formal recognition demonstrates that the training company’s products reach an objectively defined and independently evaluated quality standard.
• Industry recognition – through the itSMF’s industry standing and reputation.
• Route to market - by listing endorsed courses on the itSMF UK website and making course details available to members, it offers an excellent route to market for training organisations.
• The endorsement logo - the distinctive ‘Endorsed by itSMF UK’ logo will be available only to those training organisations whose courses have met the requirements of the Course Endorsement Scheme. itSMF UK members will be encouraged to look for this sign when making their course selection.

The full launch of the scheme to the itSMF UK members will take place in early 2012, and will include a list of those courses that have been endorsed at that point.  In announcing the scheme in his opening address to the 2011 itSMF UK conference ex-chair and Global Knowledge Business Development Director Barry Corless said:

“The future of itSMF UK is in helping to drive extra value for the membership through the services we offer.  Those services will be enhanced with the itSMF UK course endorsement scheme.  Our independent quality stamp on courses that are service management connected but not ITIL official curriculum courses.  Complementary but not competitive to the ITIL suite”.