After months of intense preparations, the five Founding Directors of the Accredited Training Council Trade Association (ATCTA) are proud to announce the first-ever association in the IT Service Management (ITSM) certification training industry. During the 2nd annual EXIN Partner Event on March 25th, 2010 held in the always tantalizing city of New Orleans, Louisiana, the ATCTA opened its doors to all accredited ITSM certification training providers worldwide to join its effort to bring unity to the ITSM certification industry, to raise the quality standards for ITSM certification training and advocate its member’s customers’ voice regarding ITSM certification courses.

For more than two decades the ITSM industry has operated without such community. “The past three years have proven the need for such representation in the ITSM market”, says Jayne Groll of ITSM Academy and one of the founders of the ATCTA. Globally, the ITSM certification training industry is experiencing a growth spree. While this is an encouraging development, it also creates confusion in the ITSM market at the same time. Hiring managers, career development managers and even seasoned ITSM enthusiasts are challenged with separating the good from the bad. The number of blogs is just one indicator of this troublesome development.

The ITSM certification training market is diversifying rapidly. The catalogue of choices is expanding. However, with little or no oversight and governance a noticeable negative trend in quality has been the result. “Accredited ITSM certification training providers adhering to the ATCTA’s Code of Conduct are eligible to display a seal of approval, the ATCTA Trustmark, says Mart Rovers of InterProm USA and one for the four founders. The ATCTA Trustmark is evidence that the ATCTA member complies with the ATCTA quality standards. For any accredited ITSM certification training provider who values quality over quantity it will be easy to meet the requirements as they have been laid out in this standard. At the same time, the Code of Conduct raises the bar higher than what has become the norm over the past three years. ATCTA members in good standing will benefit from having a competitive advantage over those providers with lower quality standards. For the first time this brings much needed unity and transparency to the ITSM market.

When considering the whole value chain, the accredited ITSM certification training providers operate the closest in conjunction with the ITSM learners. Accreditation organizations, publishers, governance bodies, and so on, operate nearly as close. As such, accredited ITSM certification training providers experience closely the needs, the challenges, and the desired solutions of its customers. The ITSM learners’ voice will finally be heard in a unified way. The ATCTA’s vision and mission underscores this.

Interested in listening to a recording of the ATCTA Launch Meeting? Follow this link and download the complete presentation. The presentation lasts 1 hour and 44 minutes. The file size is 36MB.