[(they're not just for computers - but there is a designated computer section with it's competency requirements...)
SCANS 2000: What is SCANS?
In the early 1990s, the United States Department of Labor appointed a commission to study 50 occupations and identify the "know-how" workers need to perform their jobs well.
The commission, called SCANS (Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills), spent 12 months talking to business owners, public employers, managers, union officials, and entry-level to senior workers in a variety of industries. The prevailing message they heard everywhere was this:
Good jobs depend on people who can put knowledge to work. New workers must be creative and responsible problem solvers and have the skills and attitudes on which employers can build. Traditional jobs are changing and new jobs are created everyday. High paying but unskilled jobs are disappearing. Employers and employees share the belief that all workplaces must "work smarter."1
The SCANS commission released its SCANS Report in 1992. The report remains relevant and compelling in the new century. It documents the global and technological forces behind the changing American workplace and challenges American schools to reinvent themselves to make school curricula and teaching methods more relevant to the modern workplace (collaborative learning projects, teacher as facilitator, emphasis on problem solving and critical thinking, and real-world, scenario-based assignments, among others).
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INTRODUCTION
ISO 9000 is rapidly becoming the most
popular quality standard in the world.
Thousands of organizations have already
adopted this important standard, and many
more are in the process of doing so.
ISO 9000 applies to all types of organizations. It doesn't matter what size they are or what they do. It can help both product and service oriented organizations achieve standards of quality that are recognized and respected throughout the world.
Here's how it works. You decide that you need to develop a quality system that meets the ISO 9000 standards. You choose to follow this path because you feel the need to control the quality of your products and services, to reduce the costs associated with poor quality, or to become more competitive. Or, you choose this path simply because your customers expect you to do so or because a regulatory body has made it mandatory.
You then develop a quality system that
meets the quality requirements specified
by one of the following three standards:
ISO 9001, ISO 9002, or ISO 9003. In the
course of doing so, you also consider ISO's
many guidelines. These guidelines include
ISO 9000, ISO 9004, ISO 10011, and ISO 10013.
Once your quality system has been
developed and implemented, you carry
out an internal audit to make sure your
system is working properly.
Then you invite an accredited
external auditor (registrar) to evaluate the effectiveness of your quality system. If your auditors like what they see, they will certify that your quality system has met all of ISO's requirements. They will then issue an official certificate to you and they will record your achievement in their registry. You can then announce to the world that the quality of your products and services is managed, controlled, and assured by a registered ISO 9000 quality system.
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This website discusses the ISO 9000 quality standards. It discusses both requirements and guidelines.
ISO's requirements include ISO 9001, ISO 9002, and ISO 9003. And ISO's guidelines include ISO 9000, ISO 9004, ISO 10011, and ISO 10013. For the benefit of those who appreciate clarity, we have "translated" these requirements and guidelines into plain English.
Since ISO wants you to meet their
requirements and to follow their guidelines
by developing a quality system, we have
created a Quality System Development Plan.
If you need to implement ISO 9000, this plan will help you do it.
Once you've implemented ISO 9000, you
can't stop there. You also have to audit
your quality system. To help you out,
we've developed the following three
Internal Quality Audit Programs: ISO 9001 Internal Audit Program ISO 9002 Internal Audit Program ISO 9003 Internal Audit Program
Finally, if you're serious about ISO 9000, you'll also need to understand the big picture.
In order to help you out, we've defined ISO's concepts using ordinary English, and we've developed a simple theoretical framework that explains what ISO 9000 is all about.
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