CAP Eligibility Requirements

General Requirements

To become an ISA CAP®, you must apply, meet the education and work experience requirements and pass an exam. By paying the application fee, you confirm that you are aware of the certification requirements and that you have met and can document your compliance with them. You will be eligible to sit for the exam when you have met all of the following criteria:

  1. Be fully compliant with the CAP certification criteria, qualifications and conditions
  2. Abide by the ISA Conduct and Anti-Harassment Policy.
  3. Acknowledge that you are subject to a random application verification audit and fully agree to provide the supporting documents that prove your qualifications.

Education and Work Experience Requirements

If you hold a four-year technical degree

  • Evidence of a technical degree
    Four-year academic degree from an accredited educational institution in a technical or technology field, including engineering, chemistry, physics, math, etc.
  • Related work experience
    Related experience means at least 5 years of work in the automation field. One year of work experience is defined as 1,500 hours of active employment. A cumulative total of 7,500 hours of documented work experience is required during the five-year period prior to your application date. Passing the CAP Associate certificate program exam counts as one year of work experience, or 1,500 hours toward the 7,500 total hours required.

If you hold a four-year technical degree

  • Related work experience
    Related experience means at least 10 years of work in the automation field. One year of work experience is defined as 1,500 hours of active employment. A cumulative total of 15,000 hours of documented work experience is required during the ten-year period prior to your application date. An associate degree in automation or a related technology from an accredited educational institution will count as two years of work experience. Passing the CAP Associate certificate program exam counts as one year of work experience or 1,500 hours toward the 15,000-hour total.
  • Evidence of a position of responsible charge
    Two work-related references should be submitted to demonstrate that the applicant has at least 2 years of automation experience in a position of responsible charge. Each reference should be completed and signed by a former supervisor or someone in a position to attest to the applicant’s responsibilities. At least one reference must be signed by a current or former supervisor.

    Responsible charge does not refer to management control or administrative functions, such as accounting, labor relations or marketing. The span of control required to be considered in a position of responsible charge includes:
    • Personally, makes critical automation project decisions, or reviews and approves proposed decisions prior to implementation, including consideration of alternatives.

OR

    • Judges the quality of other technical specialists and the validity and applicability of their recommendations before those recommendations are incorporated into the work.

Work experience and educational periods may not overlap when calculating the total number of years required for this certification.

 

Application Audit

ISA reserves the right to audit the information provided in your certification application. A random selection of applications will be audited each year. Any CAP applicant selected for audit will receive notification via email and/or US Mail at the address of record. Applicants are responsible for maintaining their preferred current address with ISA to ensure they receive notifications. 

If your application has been selected, you will be required to verify your employment history, position of responsible charge, apprenticeship training and/or education as they relate to your application eligibility. Applicants who are audited must submit all requested documentation to ISA within 60 days of audit notification. Failure to do so will result in the revocation of your application and certification.

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