Search current manufacturing job postings, and you’ll find many titles for roles that require similar technical skills. Industrial Automation Maintenance Technician, Automation Technician, Automation Controls Technician, Electro-Mechanical Automation Technician, Mechatronics Maintenance Technician…you get the picture.

Despite the different titles, many of these positions share core responsibilities: preventive maintenance, electrical and mechanical troubleshooting, PLC and HMI support, sensors, drives, robotics, pneumatics, equipment upgrades, and technical documentation. But no two manufacturing environments are exactly alike. The equipment on the floor, the technologies used, and the way responsibilities are divided among employees create a combination of skills that is specific to each employer.

For years, employers have been able to leverage SACA’s pre-built Specialist Certifications, which combine SACA Micro-credentials into occupational credentials for common industrial roles. Developed with input from hundreds of industrial employers, these Specialist Certifications reflect the competencies commonly required across similar occupations and industries throughout the United States. But what if an employer wants a very specific definition of the skillset required for their unique roles?

Enter SACA’s new Custom Specialist Certifications capability. SACA members can now build an occupational certification around the exact competencies required for a company-defined role.

Custom Specialist Certifications Build on SACA’s Occupational Credentials

SACA already offers predefined Specialist Certifications that certify technical skills in operations, troubleshooting, programming, maintenance, and systems integration. Each is built through a combination of Micro-credentials and is keyed to a skilled occupation, like Automation Systems Specialist, Control Systems Specialist, Electrical Systems Specialist, and more.

For many employers, one of these predefined credentials may be close to the role they need—perhaps an “80 percent fit” in practical terms—but the remaining skills depend on the plant. A manufacturer may need more robotics and machine vision. Another may rely heavily on hydraulic systems and mechanical power transmission. A third may expect technicians to work with process instrumentation, industrial networks, or a particular combination of PLCs, drives, and smart sensors.

Custom Specialist Certifications allow the employer to define that final combination rather than adapting the job to a predefined credential.

How Custom Specialist Certifications Work

Here’s how the process works. An employer:

1. Selects a position
2. Reviews the competencies required for the job
3. Maps those competencies to existing SACA Associate Certifications and Micro-Credentials
4. Build the Custom Specialist Certification in your SACA Portal – you can even add your organization’s logo to it!
5. Build the training and advancement pathway aligned to the SACA Certification – delivered at the workplace or in conjunction with an educational institution

Each Custom Specialist Certification must contain at least four SACA Associate Certifications, Micro-Credentials, or a combination of the two.

Employers can name their certifications and even add their company logo to the certificate!

Creating a Clear Technician Career Ladder

Employers can leverage Custom Specialist Certifications to create clear career progressions for their team members. Company X who has a team of Maintenance Technicians might have a progression of roles called Maintenance Technician I, Maintenance Technician II, Maintenance Technician III, with prerequisite skills to earn each title:

A manufacturer could use Custom Specialist Certifications to make that progression explicit:

• Maintenance Technician I: preventive maintenance, safety, electrical fundamentals, mechanical power, and basic equipment operation
• Maintenance Technician II: motor controls, sensors, VFDs, PLC operation, and independent troubleshooting of common equipment faults
• Maintenance Technician III: advanced PLC troubleshooting, robotics integration, predictive maintenance, complex root-cause analysis, and responsibility for mentoring other technicians

The employer decides which competencies belong at each level based on its equipment, processes, and expectations, then aligns those competencies to the associated micro-credentials. Each role would be a Custom Specialist Certification comprised of a number of micro-credentials specific to that company’s needs.

The result is a concrete roadmap for advancement. Employees can see exactly which skills they need to develop to move to the next level, and each SACA Micro-credential provides documented evidence that they have demonstrated those competencies. Once an employee has earned all the Micro-credentials required for a Specialist Certification both the employee and employer have a clear measure of readiness for advancement, whether that means moving into a higher-level role, taking on greater responsibility, or earning the title and wage increase that may come with it.

One Competency Map for Employers and Colleges

An employer can use the pathway to organize in-house onboarding, cross-training, and incumbent-worker development.

The same map can be shared with a technical or community college. Instead of asking the college to interpret a general request for “automation training,” the employer can identify the required SACA credentials and the competencies attached to them. The college can then determine which existing courses address those skills, where curriculum needs to be adjusted, and what labs or assessments are needed to prepare employees for certification. That supports the rapid program development, employer alignment, stackable credentials, and clearly defined student pathways identified in SACA’s Custom Specialist framework.

Build the Credential Around the Work

Custom Specialist Certifications give SACA members a direct way to translate a company role into a defined set of technical competencies. Employers can account for the equipment and technologies used in their facilities, build progressive technician levels, and give employees a specific roadmap for advancement. Technical and community colleges can use the same framework to design targeted training around documented employer requirements.

SACA members can begin developing Custom Specialist Certifications through their SACA portal. Organizations that need assistance identifying competencies, mapping credentials, or structuring multiple career levels can contact SACA.

Not a SACA member yet but would like to explore these certifications and learn how your organization can create custom certifications? Contact our team and we’ll share more.