Certificate vs Certification
Though certificate and certification appear to carry similar meaning there is a difference between certificate and certification, which will be highlighted in this article. Certificate is awarded after the successful completion of an educational or vocational training usually by the particular institution whereas certification is legally approving a professional for their eligibility for a job/consultancy or products for their standards by an authority. Certificate can be obtained after a learning process while certification is gained after an assessment process for the applicants that meet the requirement of the certifying body. It is important to remember that the term certificate refers to the document that proves that the person has got the particular qualification whereas the term certification highlights the process of certifying.
What is a Certificate?
A certificate is the document in which the qualification the person has obtained is mentioned and it is certified by the authoritative figures of the awarding body, institution. A certificate is usually awarded after the successful completion of a degree, diploma, a vocational training course or even a certificate course in some discipline. A certificate is normally presented as evidence of a particular qualification. Sometimes, educational institutions also award certificates for their students in recognition of a certain talent or a skill. For instance, certificates awarded to one’s flair in creative writing. A certificate can be obtained by anyone who successfully completes a course unlike a certification that takes the job related experience of professionals also into account before they are considered for the certification.
What is Certification?
Certification is the process of certifying professionals, a service or goods for their eligibility, quality or standards after a standardized process of evaluation. A certification is usually done by a government/independent authority or an internationally recognized standard setting body, for instance, ISO, International Organization for Standardization. For certification, a professional, a service provider or a manufacturer of a product needs to meet the standards those are set by the evaluating body. In relation to professionals, they may need to have experience for a stated number of years in order to be eligible to be considered for certification. A certification results in credentials that can be used after a professional’s name, C.P.H; Certified in Public Health. Sometimes, this may require ongoing standards to maintain.
What is the difference between Certificate and Certification?
• Certificate is a documentary proof of an educational or vocational qualification whereas certification is the process that gives credentials to a professional or recognition for services/goods for their quality.
• A certificate is awarded by an educational institution while authorizing bodies or standard setting entities involve in certification.
• The two main types of certifications are professional certification and product certification.
• Certification may require ongoing standards to maintain.
• A certificate can be obtained after the successful completion of a course by any participant whereas certification require a certain amount of experience in a profession to be considered for a certification.
Thus, it is clear that a certificate is more academic oriented when concerned with certification that is linked with accreditation of professionals or quality assurance of products.