What’s the Difference Between a Certificate and a Certification?

Some people may think that the terms certificate and certification are one in the same, but they mean different things. Let’s compare the two terms.

Certification requires a set of standards developed through a defensible process that results in an outline of the required competencies; knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform a particular job. The National Curriculum Standard (NCS) was intentionally designed to serve as the standards for U.S. animal/human food regulatory and state feed/food laboratory professionals. In addition to the training that is being developed against the NCS, the standards will also be used to develop certification exams.