Now that you are familiar with the types of ITIL training available, I want to take you down the path of ITIL accreditation. This DITY is the second in a two-part series designed to give practitioners and training coordinators a detailed understanding of the components that make up an ITIL training program, along with insight into the process of ITIL accreditation. More information on the topics listed below can be found at the Official ITIL Web site at www.itil-officialsite.com/home/home.asp.
All organizations approved by APM Group Limited (the official ITIL Accreditor) as EIs are audited by independent auditors appointed by APM Group in accordance with the principles of international best practice standards. If the systems used by the applicant organizations align with these guidelines, they will be granted permission to administer the scheme for ITIL accreditation and qualifications and will also be offered a place on the Qualifications Board.
Under the contracts signed with APM Group, EIs are allowed to undertake the following activities:
The selection of an Examination Institute often revolves around its geographic proximity, processes for qualifying and providing examination proctors, and ability to handle special examination requirements. The current Examination Institutes are:
As the ITIL market continues to spread, additional organizations are seeking accreditation as Examination Institutes, so this list will most certainly change over time.
Only ATOs and their affiliates are licensed to offer training courses that incorporate official OGC trademarks, brands and copyright material.
These ATOs have been fully accredited by an approved Examination Institute. The accreditation process involves a rigorous assessment of the organization's management systems, course materials and trainers, assuring the quality of training provided. As stated above, the various Examination Institutes are in turn accredited by the APM Group, OGC's Official Accreditor. ATO’s are often referred to as Accredited Training Providers (ATP), with the slight difference that the ATO has developed the relevant course material, and the ATP may license some of its accredited material from an ATO.
Organizations offering training who are not accredited by an approved Examination Institute or who are not affiliated with an ATO, may be in breach of copyright law.
Accredited Training Organizations (ATO) may license accredited course materials to third parties to become an Authorized Training Affiliate (ATA) with the ATO's Examination Institute (EI). Use of accredited material does not, of itself, amount to accreditation and such third parties are not authorized to make any statements suggesting any level of approval by the Examination Institute (EI) or be entitled to use EI's logos unless they themselves become accredited.
Under this model, the ATA must identify the course provider as the ATO of record in all marketing literature and advertisements along with routing all requests for examinations or other administrative services through the ATO. Trainers must meet all qualifications set forth by the EI.
Organizations seeking accreditation as an Accredited Training Provider (ATP) using another ATO's course material are required as part of their submission to provide a letter of authorization and a copy of the licensing agreement from the Accredited Training Organization to say that the material is used with its permission. All other parts of the application that relate to training sites and instructors must be submitted to the EI for review and approval. Once approved by the EI, the ATP will be entitled to use the EI's logos along with ordering examinations direct from the EI.
Hopefully the above information has provided some insight into the accreditation process for ITIL certification. This summary along with the plethora of information on the Official ITIL Web Site should provide you the information you need to make an informed decision when selecting an ITIL Training Provider for your ITSM V3 training needs.