Industry-Based Certification (IBC)

What is an IBC?
An Industry-Based Certification is an independent third party credential that is industry-accepted and results from a process whereby an individual's knowledge and/or skill in a particular area is verified against a set of pre-determined standards.

How are IBCs used?
An IBC is tangible evidence that an individual has successfully demonstrated skill competencies in a specific set of work-related tasks, a single occupational area, or a cluster of related occupational areas as recognized by a specific industry. It has been suggested that IBCs are an individual's passport into the new economy. Employers, as members of a particular industry base, participate in setting the standards and creating criteria for certificate attainment.

What is the approval process for IBCs?
In order to be considered for inclusion on the approved focus list, the IBC must meet the requirements for certification inclusion, the recommending entity must complete an application, and the IBC must be approved for recommendation by the IBC Council.

What are Louisiana’s IBC focus areas?
The IBC Council compiled a list of approved, recognized industry-based certifications. The purpose of the IBC "focus list" is to provide guidance – to training programs and other stakeholders in the workforce development system, as well as to students – as to occupational areas that are important to Louisiana and in which certifications are recognized by Louisiana businesses.

See Louisiana’s IBC state focus list.

See the TOPS Tech Early Start program list.

See IBC Application Packet.

IBC Application Fillable Form.(*)
       (*) Please submit all supplemental documentation and letters to ibccouncil@lwc.la.gov.

What are the IBC requirements?
The criteria for inclusion on the official IBC focus list are as follows:

Certification must:

1. Fit the definition of an Industry-Based Certification which is a credential, usually issued by an industry or industry group, that verifies an individual has met the skill standards established by that industry or industry group, as minimal requirements to successfully enter the workforce and compete in a particular occupational area. Industry-based standards are usually monitored and updated in accordance with changes by the sponsoring/certifying agency. Certifications normally have a finite life and a re-certification process must be undertaken by recipients of credentials to keep the certification in force.
   
   
2. Provide opportunities for entry-level employment in occupations recognized state-wide as a 4 or 5 Star job by the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council and its Occupational Forecasting Conference. Documentation detailing demand and wages for occupations must be submitted with the application.
   
   
3. Have state, national, or international recognition. An IBC is tangible evidence that an individual has successfully demonstrated skill competencies in a specific set of work-related tasks, a single occupational area, or a cluster of related occupational areas as recognized by the specific industry and verified by successful completion of required assessment components.
   
   
4. Have the support of at least three (3) Louisiana employers recognizing the credential. Letters of support on company letterhead must accompany the application.
   
   
5. Be generic, not vendor-specific, except in special cases as determined by the IBC Council.

NOTE: The IBC Council may make exceptions to these requirements on a case-by-case basis, when making their recommendations to the full Workforce Investment Council.

What is the process for adding a certification to the official IBC focus list?

1. The IBC application must be completed and submitted to the Director of the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council no later than one month prior to an IBC Council meeting. Incomplete applications will not be considered. This form and all supporting documentation may be completed and submitted by any entity wishing to have a certification added to the State Focus List and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) approved IBC matrix. Please send the completed application and all supporting documentation to
   IBCcouncil@la.gov.
   
   
2. The Chairperson of the IBC Council will direct appropriate staff (Louisiana Department of Education – LDOE, Louisiana Community and Technical College System – LCTCS, Louisiana Economic Development – LED, or Louisiana Workforce Commission – LWC) to research the requested certification to verify occupational demand and wages and to ensure that all basic requirements are met.
   
   
3. The approval process to add new IBCs to the State Focus list is as follows:
   
   1. Requesting entity submits completed application and all supporting documentation to the Director of the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council.
   2. Staff (LDOE, LCTCS, LED, or LWC) will provide requested information to the IBC Council.
   3. Upon completion of review of information provided by Staff, the IBC Council will determine if there is substantial evidence for the inclusion of a new IBC.
   4. Should the IBC Council determine substantial evidence for the inclusion of a new IBC, the submitting entity and employers supporting the request will be required to present the IBC application, answer additional questions or provide additional information.
   5. Upon approval by the IBC Council, the application will be placed on the next Workforce Investment Council (WIC) meeting agenda for review and final approval.
   
   
4. Once certification is approved by the WIC, it will be sent to the Education Providers as an action item to be added to LDOE’s IBC matrix.
   
   
5. Updated information about the approved IBC and its link to a high-wage, in-demand career must be submitted to the Director of the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council every two years for review and determination of whether the IBC remains on the State Focus list.

Contact Information
Louisiana Workforce Investment Council
1001 North 23rd Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802

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Industry-Based Certification Council Members: