The American Petroleum Institute's global industry services department (API Global) has established a new and comprehensive auditor certification program.
Company personnel and self-employed individuals can register to be trained, tested, and certified to audit various quality management programs according to API's standards.
Certification candidates are required to provide proof of appropriate education, qualifications, training, and audit logs as part of the application and pre-qualification process. They must also sit for and pass a 150-question exam, administered worldwide at Prometric computer testing centers. The first exams will be offered 1-15 March 2016, and the registration deadline is 5 February. API plans to hold three auditor certification exam periods per year.
Each of the three levels of certification can be obtained with a focus on either API Spec Q1 (specification for quality management system requirements for manufacturing organizations) or API Spec Q2 (specification for quality management system requirements for service supply organizations).
"API is committed to safety as a core value, and we are pleased to offer this new auditor certification program to help improve the safety and performance of oil and natural gas operations worldwide," said Lisa Salley, vice president of API Global. "API standards and certifications are the industry gold standard. The program is designed specifically for and by oil and natural gas quality management professionals and draws upon API's deep industry knowledge and expertise."