What is the difference between registration and certification?
Registration is required by law for air conditioning technicians who work under a licensed air conditioning contractor and who performs air conditioning and refrigeration maintenance work. Certification is optional. To become certified, you must be registered with the Department and have passed a qualifying exam.
Internationally, the two terms are used interchangeably. In the U.S., the national accreditation body uses the term registration to reduce confusion by consistently associating registration with the qualification of management systems and associating certification with the qualification of either products or individuals as in “product certification” or “Auditor certification.
Registration is signing up and initiating the process of becoming Certified. Certification means that you have met the criteria for becoming certified in one or more technical services and have signed an agreement with NRCS. Agreements can be signed electronically once you have an online account with USDA.
