ISA to Hold CIMM Exam

The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society (ISA) is accepting applications until September 1st for its new Certified Industrial Maintenance Mechanics (CIMM) program.

The CIMM exam will debut October 7th at the 2004 ISA Expo in Houston Texas. Subsequent exams will be given October 9th and December 11th at select locations.

CIMM is the first certification program for industrial maintenance mechanics in the U.S. The program represents what could be a major shift in the maintenance mechanics field.

According to Rod Lincoln, a manager at Cytec Industries' Louisiana operation and chair of the CIMM steering team, "In the old days there was an apprenticeship program. If someone wanted to do something they would work under a skilled craftsman, and when they completed their apprenticeship they had the credentials and everyone recognizes those credentials. We don't have anything like that now."

Lincoln goes on to state that companies create infrastructures that say whether someone qualifies as a mechanic.

"CIMM gives a mechanic in one company the opportunity to compare his or her credentials to everyone else."

ISA provides additional information about the CIMM program on its website, www.isa.org/cimm.

Source: ISA