Yes, you do meet this requirement, but it is not that simple. You can of course say, in a contract a client has written: “everyone who inspects my product must be IPC-A-610 certified”. You can include: “anyone who solders to my product, applies rework must be IPC-7711/7721 certified”. That is all possible. The moment that a supplier only allows his people to train and certify in the compulsory modules, he meets that requirement. So, in that sense you could say yes.
But you can also ask yourself what the value of such certificates is. When you consider that those compulsory modules generally consist of 1 part that goes into the administrative side of certification, how long is a certificate valid, which certificates are there, what are the rules at the time that you want to recertify? Often another part is also required in which general matters are raised or what types of product class there are and the definitions used in the various standards. With only part 1 the knowledge that is transferred is actually very limited. You cannot assume that people who have such a certificate are suitable and have the knowledge and skills to, for example, assess solder connections for accuracy because they have never followed those modules. However, this also applies to a trainer who must always train all modules, the entire package. But especially the specialists can choose from the different modules.
If a company chooses to train only the compulsory modules, then that certificate is a very limited. If it is theoretical training, then he has only learned some theoretical things. Tools and materials that he may use but he actually has not yet used them in practice. So, if someone has a certificate with only the required modules, you are still not sure if he is also able to carry out the practical assignment that must be carried out on your product. If this employee has the skills to be able to do that, because he has not proven that during a practical training. Of course, it may well be that he can live up to that in practice, because he has the experience, but you do not have the certainty that you would have the moment that he was trained and certified and had complete his practical exam successfully. General issues are dealt with in particular in theoretical training, but the person has not learned how to specifically assess solder connections. How he specifically, for example, in a training for a cable harness, how he should assess the crimp connections. He has never learned this and there is no evidence that he has that knowledge.
Of course, it makes sense that during a specialist training, those modules that are applicable, are trained. And for possible modules that are not applicable, because those topics are not dealt with in practice, to omit them. IPC leaves this option free, but it would of course be very good to train and certify the applicable modules. So that it is clear to both parties what this person can do and where his possible limitations lie. As a client it is important to state those things properly, what exactly do I want to indicate and possibly also the modules of those that are important to me as a client and where I assume that employees are properly trained in.
