The International Institute of Obsolescence Management (IIOM) is developing two official qualifications in order to bring obsolescence management to an even higher level. In preparation of the IIOM conference in Edinburgh Stuart Kelly, the director of IIOM, presented his plan for an Institute Certificate and an Institute Diploma.

Kelly basically enfolded a threefold plan, just ahead of the conference. The first part of the plan is the right to issue an Institute Certificate, a right that should be granted to so-called Endorsed Training Providers. These training providers are members of the IIOM who are willing to organize courses so that individuals (not necessarily being individual IIOM members) can receive a certificate, indicating that these individuals are from now on officially qualified in the field of OM.

Second, the Institute Diploma is meant for those who want to explore the field even further, getting guidance from the IIOM itself. The IIOM training course goes deeper than the one offered by the Endorsed Training Providers. However, both certificate and diploma will be based on an IIOM defined syllabus.

Third, there are plans, in the UK at least, to incorporate obsolescence management in an official degree-based qualification, leading to engineers that are specialized in OM. These are plans for the longer term. Kelly: “We will introduce our qualification scheme one step at a time. In 2016, we want to make the first steps with this scheme. To be continued.”