About the Institute for Sustainable Power Quality (ISPQ) Assessment Framework

From high schools to universities and from community colleges to the building trades, there is a surge of interest and participation in renewable energy courses and practitioner training programs. However, as more programs are being offered by a variety of educational providers, how do potential students know that they will be taught the skills and knowledge they will need to do a good job? Do the facilities include the right equipment and hardware for training? Are there procedures that ensure safety and safe practices? Are the programs managed in a fiscally responsible way? Are the teachers qualified? These are some of the questions that come to mind as more renewable energy courses are offered and enrollment increases.

To ensure continuity, consistency, and quality in the delivery of training, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) is implementing the Institute for Sustainable Power Quality (ISPQ) framework of standards and metrics to provide a means to compare content, quality, and resources across a broad range of training programs covering renewable energy, energy efficiency and distributed generation technologies. This international framework ensures legitimacy of what’s being taught and by whom.

The ISPQ Standard was developed by the Institute for Sustainable Power (ISP) under the leadership of Mark Fitzgerald.  In July 2005, IREC became the North American Licensee for the ISPQ Standard. The Interstate Renewable Energy Council is managing all aspects of the ISPQ accreditation and certification designations and is responsible for the application, audit, award and maintenance of the award.

This International Standard specifies requirements for competency, quality systems, resources, and qualification of a curriculum against which trainers and training programs can be evaluated. Highlights of the requirements include:

• The program shall be designed to prepare individuals with knowledge and skills required for a professional trade with the curriculum content following an approved task analysis;
• Curriculum shall have sufficient prerequisites to ensure that graduates have a predictable level of expertise;
• Facilities shall be sufficient and safe for the training;
• The organization has appropriate financial resources and that administrative and management procedures and policies are in practice; and Written policies shall ensure the competence, impartiality, and integrity of the program.

More recently, an appendix was added to the Standard setting Guidelines for On-Line Courses.  Some of the key points include:

• The instruction is presented in an organized and sequential learning format.
• The learning management system should provide the necessary assessment and reporting capabilities to help monitor and track the learning process. 
• Instructor provides timely and specific feedback. 
• Learning shall provide frequent and meaningful interactions among learners, between learners and instructional material and between learners and the instructors. 
• Assessment should be an integral part of the learning experience. 
• Advertising of any type is prohibited within the educational content. 

Through the application and auditing process, the ISPQ framework offers evaluation for the following categories:

1. Accreditation for Training Programs
2. Accreditation for Continuing Education Providers
3. Certification for Independent Master Trainers
4. Certifications for Affiliated Master Trainers
5. Certification for Instructors