Towards establishing an educating and certification system for colour specialty: The experience of Taiwan

Abstract

Mastering colour has been an important skill for various industrial applications involving visual experience, from display, printing, dying, lighting, to all kinds of design. However, the knowledge of colour is not readily accessible to general colour users or even to colour manufacturers. This paper reports Taiwan’s experience on establishing a systematic colour teaching and training program with a standardised certification process to recognise one’s colour proficiency. The colour experts in Taiwan Colour Association, Technology Research Institute, and colour industry in Taiwan had jointly designed the Occupational Competency Standards (OCSs) which encapsulate the knowledge, skills, and aptitudes required in one’s particular occupation related to colour specialist. The OCSs serve as a backbone for subsequent developments of colour textbooks, colour training courses, and the certification exams. With many preparation and promotion efforts, in the end of 2018, the first iPAS certification of the Associate Level of Colour has appealed over 1000 participants to sign up for the certification. We believe this ongoing project will elevate Taiwan's professional colour education and accelerating colour industrial development.