Course Certificate or TÜV SÜD Certification: What Is the Difference?
· Automotive service technician
When you compare automotive courses, many of them mention a certificate. Two different things can sit behind that word, and it helps to know which one you are getting.
A course certificate
A course certificate is issued by the institute that trained you. It records that you completed its course, and sometimes that you passed its own assessment. It is a fair record of what you studied.
A person certification
A person certification is issued by a certification body to people who pass its examination under its own scheme. The certificate names that body as the issuer.
The TÜV SÜD Certified Automotive Service Technician certificate is a person certification. It is issued by the Certification of Persons of TÜV SÜD South Asia Pvt. Ltd. under TÜV SÜD's qualification scheme, after a pen-and-paper examination held in Chennai in the presence of TÜV SÜD examiners.
Side by side
| Course certificate | TÜV SÜD certification | |
|---|---|---|
| Issued by | The training institute | Certification of Persons of TÜV SÜD South Asia Pvt. Ltd. |
| What it records | That you completed the course | That you passed TÜV SÜD's examination across six areas of vehicle service |
| Exam | Set by the institute, if any | Pen and paper in Chennai, TÜV SÜD examiners present |
| Verification | Depends on the institute | Certificate number and QR code |
| Expiry | Depends on the institute | Does not expire |
Questions to ask before you enrol
- Who issues the certificate? If it is the institute, it is a course certificate, however it is worded.
- Whose examination do you sit? A person certification comes from the certifying body's own examination.
- Can you see a sample? It should name the issuer and show how it is verified.
Summary
A course certificate records the training you completed. A TÜV SÜD certification records that you passed TÜV SÜD's examination. At Reynlab, a TÜV SÜD cooperation partner, the Master Automotive Technician course leads to the TÜV SÜD Certified Automotive Service Technician examination, with the exam fee included in the course fee. For what the certificate shows when you apply for a job, read what a TÜV SÜD technician certificate tells an employer.