Certification level
A Certified IPC Trainer teaches and certifies IPC Specialists inside their own company. Bring certification in house for IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, IPC/WHMA-A-620, IPC-7711/7721, IPC-A-600 or IPC-6012.
In short
A Certified IPC Trainer (CIT) is an employee qualified by IPC to teach one standard and certify Certified IPC Specialists inside their own organization. Your company can then certify its operators and inspectors on its own schedule, instead of sending each of them to a training center.
CIT is the instructor level of IPC certification. A CIT course is taught by a Master IPC Trainer at an IPC Authorized Training Center and covers the whole standard, every module, together with how to present it and how to run the CIS exams. Passing it qualifies you to deliver CIS training and certify specialists on that standard, for your own employer.
Like every IPC credential, a CIT covers one standard and lasts 24 months. Renewal is a shorter course and asks for evidence that you have taught. If the credential lapses, your company cannot certify its own specialists until it is renewed.
A CIT usually pays off when a company certifies people regularly: new operators every few months, more than one shift or site, or customers who audit training records. A company that certifies a handful of people every two years is usually better served by an open enrollment course or an instructor at its own facility.
By program
One CIT covers one standard. A trainer who certifies to two standards holds two CIT certificates.
| Program | CIT courseTypical length | Live online | Recertification |
|---|---|---|---|
| IPC-A-610 | 3.5 days | Available | 2 days |
| IPC J-STD-001 | 5 days | Not offered | 2 to 3 days |
| IPC/WHMA-A-620 | 4 days | Available | 2 days |
| IPC-7711/7721 | 5 days | Not offered | 2 days |
| IPC-A-600 | 3 days | Available | On request |
| IPC-6012 | 3.5 days | Available | On request |
A CIT course covers every module of the standard. J-STD-001 and IPC-7711/7721 are hands on and taught at a bench.
Instructor courses
Both let you train your own people. Only CIT lets you issue IPC certificates.
IPC certification
Teach one IPC standard and certify Certified IPC Specialists inside your company. The certificates your trainees receive are issued by IPC.
Blackfox training
Five days on teaching hand soldering: through hole, surface mount, fine pitch, terminals, and lead free soldering and rework. You leave with the instructor manual, visual aids and exams to qualify your own learners.
Blackfox training
Five days on teaching print reading, wire preparation and crimping, and cable labelling, with the materials to run the courses for your own workforce.
Blackfox training
Five days on teaching through hole and surface mount component identification, polarity and orientation markings, and cable labelling.
How it works
Experience first, then one course and its exams. If you are weighing a CIT against sending people to us, tell us how many you certify a year.
Questions
Certified IPC Trainer. It is the IPC level for people who teach a standard and certify Certified IPC Specialists (CIS) inside their own company. CITs are trained and certified by a Master IPC Trainer (MIT) at an IPC Authorized Training Center, and every Blackfox CIT course is led by one.
No. A CIT trains and certifies specialists inside their own organization only. Certifying people outside it requires an IPC Authorized Training Center.
Production experience with the work the standard covers. J-STD-001 also asks for soldering skills, and IPC-7711/7721 for soldering skills including fine pitch. CIS is not formally required, but we recommend it: candidates who do not already work to the standard every day usually struggle with the taught presentation.
Two years from the exam date. Renewal is a shorter course than the original and also asks for evidence that you have taught. If the credential lapses, your company loses the ability to certify its own specialists until it is renewed.
A CIT certifies specialists inside their own company. A Master IPC Trainer (MIT) trains and certifies CITs, and is held by instructors at an authorized training center. MIT is issued through IPC rather than through a training center.
For IPC-A-610, IPC/WHMA-A-620, IPC-A-600 and IPC-6012, yes: the class is taught live online by a Master IPC Trainer, and the exam is taken on IPC EDGE 2.0 under remote proctoring. The J-STD-001 and IPC-7711/7721 CIT courses are hands on and taught at a bench.
Yes, J-STD-001 at CIT level. It lets you certify your own solderers to J-STD-001 with certificates issued by IPC. The Blackfox Instructor Soldering Series is a different course: it teaches you to run hand soldering training in house, with a Blackfox certificate rather than an IPC one.
Read more
Longer reads on which standard and which level fit which role.
What each level allows you to do, who it is for, and how to earn it.
Matching the training and the level to the work your team actually does.
An IPC certification is not a single badge of recognition that upgrades your career anywhere in the electronics manufacturing industry. There are different types of IPC certifications, and knowing what they are will help you plan for your electronics career more efficiently. Get…
Next step
Tell us how many people you certify a year and to which standards, and we will tell you whether a CIT is worth it.
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