What does certification mean?

Professional certification is more than simply passing an examination. A robust certification process is designed to demonstrate that an individual has achieved a recognised level of competency against established industry and international standards.

While any organisation can issue a certificate after a training course or examination, accredited certification schemes are developed and managed through formal governance, quality assurance, and independent oversight to maintain consistency, fairness, and credibility.

An accredited certification program is designed to:

• Align with industry needs and competency expectations
• Follow recognised international standards and certification frameworks
• Apply fair and consistent assessment processes
• Maintain examination security and integrity
• Include independent auditing to ensure compliance and quality standards are maintained
• Provide independently supervised examination processes

Certification governance

Accredited certification programs are governed through formal committees and documented processes to ensure fairness, consistency, and technical accuracy.

A certification scheme typically includes governance structures responsible for:

• Establishing rules, policies, and certification requirements
• Monitoring quality and consistency of assessments
• Reviewing examination processes and statistical performance data
• Ensuring certification remains accessible, fair, and relevant to industry requirements
• Maintaining examination integrity and security

Technical oversight is also required to ensure that course content, examinations, and competency requirements remain technically accurate, current, and aligned with industry standards. These processes also support the management of appeals, grievances, and breaches of certification requirements where applicable.

Many organisations offer training and certificates of completion; however, not all programs operate within an accredited certification framework.

Independent auditing and accreditation

To maintain credibility and independence, accredited certification programs are audited against recognised international standards.

In Australia and New Zealand, certification bodies may be accredited by organisations such as JAS-ANZ (Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand), with certification schemes assessed against standards such as ISO/IEC 17024 for personnel certification.

Independent auditing helps ensure certification programs operate fairly, consistently, securely, and in accordance with documented requirements.

Certification requirements

Most certification programs require candidates to satisfy several competency requirements before certification can be granted. These commonly include:

Training
Completion of formal training that covers defined subject areas, learning outcomes, and minimum duration requirements.

Examination
Successful completion of a formal assessment process conducted under controlled conditions to verify competency. Depending on the program, examinations may be delivered online or in person and may include independent supervision or invigilation to maintain integrity.

Experience
Demonstrated practical industry experience relevant to the certification level being sought. Experience requirements vary depending on the certification standard and level.

Vibration Analysis CAT-I

To be SPM Academy certified you must:

• Achieve 70% or higher on the certification exam.
• Have 6 months of practical vibration analysis work experience, verified by an independent person.

If you do not have the experience, you will still receive a certificate, but you will not be officially certified and will be considered a 'trainee'. When you pass the 6-month milestone you will be upgraded to full certification.

 Vibration Analysis CAT-II

To be SPM Academy certified you must:

• Achieve 70% or higher on the certification exam.
• Have 18 months of practical vibration analysis work experience, verified by an independent person.

If you do not have the experience, you will still receive a certificate, but you will not be officially certified. When you pass the 18-month milestone you will be upgraded to full certification.

Vibration Analysis CAT-III

To be SPM Academy certified you must:

• Achieve 70% or higher on the certification exam.
• Have 36 months of practical vibration analysis work experience, verified by an independent person.
• Have previously been certified to VCAT-II.

If you do not have the experience, you will still receive a certificate, but you will not be officially certified. When you pass the 36-month milestone you will be upgraded to full certification.

Infrared Thermography-CAT I

To be AINDT certified you must:

• Achieve 75% or higher on the exam.
• Have 12 months practical work experience in the field of thermography-based machinery condition monitoring and diagnostics.
• Pass the Ishihara colour perception test.

If you do not have the experience, you will still receive a certificate, but you will not be officially certified and be considered a 'trainee'. When you pass the 12-month milestone you will be upgraded to full certification.

Certification is valid for 5 years.

The 4 steps of learning

‘The four steps of learning’ or ‘The Hierarchy of Competence’ relates to the psychological states involved in the process of progressing from incompetence to competence in a skill.

The four stages suggest that individuals are initially unaware of how little they know, or unconscious of their incompetence. As they recognize their incompetence, they consciously acquire a skill, then consciously use it. Eventually, the skill can be utilized without it being consciously thought through: the individual is said to have then acquired unconscious competence.

Unconscious competence is seen as the ultimate goal within the Four Stages of Learning.

The 4 steps are:

1 Unconscious Incompetence – meaning you don’t know that you don’t know something i.e. you do not know the skill exists, or if you do, you do not see the value of it. Not understanding or knowing how to do something and not recognising the deficit.

2 Conscious Incompetence – meaning you know what you don’t know but are not doing it i.e. you know the skill exists, but you are bad at it. You see its value but are struggling to learn it.

You know you’re lacking a skill or knowledge, but you still don’t know how to do it or understand it.

Understanding or knowing how to do something, and recognising the deficit, The making of mistakes can be integral to the learning process at this stage.

3 Conscious Competence – meaning you now know what you are doing, usually after training, but are still having to concentrate to do it i.e. you can perform the skill but need to focus.

Understanding or knowing how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires concentration, and if it is broken there’s a lapse into incompetence.

4 Unconscious Competence – meaning, with training and competence, the knowledge has become second nature to you i.e. you know what you are doing so well that it comes naturally without much thought.

Cancellation and Refunds

• The Recipient shall, unless otherwise agreed, have the right to cancel ordered training without charge. If Condition Monitoring Institute receives a written cancellation notice at least 30 days prior to scheduled commencement day of the Training. Thereafter, the Recipient will be charged the following:

30 - 15 days’ notice = 25%charge.

14 - 7 days’ notice = 50% charge.

<7 days’ notice = 100% charge.

• Condition Monitoring Institute reserves the right to offer a refund or proportional refund in circumstances it believes are warranted.
• Where a refund is due to a candidate, the applicable refund amount will be provided within thirty days.

Substitutions and Transfers

• Up until 30 days prior to the course commencement students may transfer their registration to another course date by making a request in writing to institute@cm-group.au
• Within 30 days of course commencement transfer requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Note that, unless there are exceptional circumstances, only one transfer is permitted per student.
• A second request to transfer may be deemed as a cancellation.
• Up to 14 days until the course commencement you may substitute another student from the same organisation. The new student will need to submit a completed registration form before their enrolment can be processed.

Non-attendance

• Non-attendance at a course by students who have not arranged a transfer or substitution with Condition Monitoring Institute will be deemed a Failure to Give Notice of Cancellation.
• Full course fees will be forfeited.

Course Cancellation (Initiated by CM Institute)

• Where Condition Monitoring Institute is forced to cancel a course, learners will be entitled to transfer to another Condition Monitoring Institute course or receive a refund.
• Condition Monitoring Institute accepts no liability for losses incurred because of changes to, or cancellation of, a course. This includes costs incurred for travel or accommodation that must be cancelled or amended. 

Payment

• Payment is due in full 10 days before the start of all courses, unless otherwise agreed.
• Condition Monitoring Institute accepts, bank transfer, Visa and MasterCard.
• Until payment is received, a student is not guaranteed a seat in a class.