The Smart Card Alliance is offering a certification program dedicated to smart card-based payments – the Certified Smart Card Industry Professional/Payments (CSCIP/P) credential.

Designed for Industry professionals interested in supporting the U.S. move to EMV and NFC contactless mobile technologies, CSCIP/P certification covers EMV migration, mobile and NFC contactless payments, secure remote transactions and smart card use in both card-based and account-based transit payment systems.

According to the SCA, CSCIP/P is an extension of the organization’s Certified Smart Card Industry Professional (CSCIP) program. Consequently, the body of industry knowledge covered by the CSCIP/P certification includes the same fundamentals as the CSCIP certification.

“The CSCIP/P training materials and exam fill a noticeable gap in education and information around the EMV migration and NFC and mobile payments adoption that have already begun in the United States,” commented Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the SCA. “We have expanded our smart card training to include written documentation and classroom instruction on the role smart cards play in the rapidly changing financial payments, transportation payments, and mobile payments industries.”

The SCA will hold its first instructor-led CSCIP/P training course at the NFC Solutions Summit in Burlingame, Calif. on May 21st, prior to the CSCIP/P exam on May 23rd.

The exam will cover the following topics:

• Smart Card Fundamentals
• Smart Card Security Principles
• Smart Card Application and Data Management
• Smart Card Usage Models – Mobile and NFC
• Smart Card Usage Models – Payments and Financial Transactions
• Technology Comparison and Implementation Considerations