International RFID Business Association to Establish Global Standards for RFID Education & Certification; Premier Certification Firm Commissioned to Conduct Landmark Assessment of RFID Knowledge and Skill Requirements among High Performance Organizations.

MCLEAN, Va. -- The International Radio Frequency Identification Business Association (RFIDba), a global, not-for-profit, trade association which promotes vendor-neutral education on RFID technologies and business applications, announced today that it has commissioned a major cross-industry assessment of RFID knowledge, job skills and critical work processes required in the workplace as the first step towards establishing a global RFID Certification Program.

This assessment project will be conducted by Applied Skills & Knowledge (AS&K), an education and work standards firm based in Morristown, NJ, with extensive experience in the development and validation of work standards for the manufacturing, retail, biotechnology, information technology and communication systems industries.

"With RFID so closely linked to business performance improvement, a holistic, systems approach to education is needed. It is therefore imperative that vendor-neutral education standards be established globally to meet the rising demand for relevant RFID skills and knowledge among technology and business professionals," said Harry P. Pappas, CEO and Founder of the RFIDba. "By selecting Applied Skills and Knowledge as our partner in this endeavor, this first-of-its-kind initiative will benefit industry enormously. We are excited to be leveraging the resources and insights of one of the foremost firms in education standards and certification program development."

AS&K and RFIDba will collaborate on the development of work standards and job certifications based on interviews and focus groups conducted with thought leaders, subject matter experts and end-users across a number of high performance organizations. These sources, drawn from a range of industries and government organizations with a track record of implementing RFID, will provide valuable data on workplace skills and knowledge for particular job functions. The resultant work standards model will address both technical and business roles. It will help organizations plan and execute a strategy for knowledge and skills development, organizational readiness and process change that is needed to successfully implement, support and leverage RFID to achieve real business value.

"We are honored to have been selected by the International RFID Business Association as their strategic partner on this important RFID education standards and certification initiative," said Dr. Paul Squires, President, AS&K and internationally recognized industrial psychologist. "By gathering information from the actual hands-on experience of organizations already working with RFID, we will build an extraordinary body of knowledge on education and skills requirements. Individuals and organizations alike will recognize that certifications derived from this work will, in fact, truly prepare them for success with RFID from both a technology and business application perspective."

According to RFIDba, the RFID work standards model will be developed through a cooperative effort of a number of member organizations. These members will jointly fund and participate in this project, gaining access to the in-depth analysis, business process requirements and organizational modeling that will be an outcome of the field assessments by AS&K. Participating organizations will receive annual updates to the work standards.

On an ongoing basis, AS&K will develop and validate the RFID work standards that will be used as the blueprint for RFID curricula and certification assessments. The work standards will remain vendor neutral and will be updated annually, providing sponsoring members of the association with information about the job and work design impact following the implementation of an RFID system. Stakeholders in this effort benefit on several fronts. Educators will be able to use the work standards model to design up-to-date, job-specific training. RFID professionals will be able to document their competence in this new and evolving technology. And employers will be confident that holders of the certification are highly skilled in the design, implementation and maintenance of RFID systems and work processes.

About the International RFID Business Association (RFIDba)

Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, the International RFID Business Association (RFIDba) is a global, not-for profit, vendor-neutral, educational trade association focused on serving end-users who have a need for educational programs that will help them achieve successful implementation and deployment of RFID technologies. The RFIDba's mission is to build an association which takes direct input and guidance from its members in order to deliver what the industry needs in the timeliest manner possible. RFIDba membership is open to end-users from all industries and government sectors, including system integrators, educators, technology vendors, and individuals. Information on RFIDba mission and membership is available at www.rfidba.org. For additional information on this certification initiative, contact Douglas P. Neary, Chief Technology Officer, RFIDba, at 215-820-0393 or Harry P. Pappas, Chief Executive Officer, RFIDba, at 610-357-0990.

About Applied Skills and Knowledge

AS&K specializes in the development and validation of work standards and assessments, including serving as lead researchers and outsourcing partners for the National Skill Standards Board (NSSB). AS&K has developed work standards for manufacturing, retail, information and communication technologies. The company also develops work standards for emerging technologies and is currently leading an effort to establish work standards within the biotechnology industry. As an extension of the NSSB work, AS&K also develops work standards and assessments for corporate clients and governmental agencies including US Forest Service, Ingersoll-Rand, Avon, US TSA, State of North Carolina, Merrill Lynch and Verizon. For more information please visit AS&K's we site, www.appliedskills.com or contact Dave O'Rourke at 973-631-1607 x 101.