Training Overview

Watch tutorials that teach you about the main processes in manufacturing including lamination, die-cutting and more. Tutorials are taught by leading card industry suppliers.

In this section of the training portal, we post educational webinars that are beyond production. The objective is to help educate members on a variety of areas to help you manage your business better. Visit this section regularly as we build this library. Currently, you will find:

• OSHA for the Card Manufacturing Industry: A Discussion of the Inspection Process, Safety and Health Hazards, and OSHA Regulations and Policies that Affect the Industry
• Sales Smoke! How Public Relations and Social Media Fire Up Leads
• Intellectual Property Strategies
• Challenges of Hiring Good Employees and Employee Retention
• Does this Economic Cycle Still Have Legs?

A training video for card issuers — a tutorial on the manufacturing and personalization of cards to support an issuer’s knowledge base for card procurement.

Course Overview:

• Markets
• Industry Scope
• Product Categories
• Manufacturing
• Materials
• Components
• Financial Transactions
• Personalization

This is a library of reports that have been published by our ICMA Standards representative after outcomes from ISO and ANSI meetings that impact the card manufacturing process.

Standards are one of the most critical elements in ensuring that a card does what it is supposed to do where it is supposed to do it. The organization ISO (International Organization for Standardization) oversees global standards for thousands of products through various subcommittees and working groups. For the card industry, the primary global working group is ISO/IEC JTC1 SC17WG1. In the United States, the ISO card industry national committee is the U.S. Committee for ID Cards and Related Devices (ANSI/NCITS B10.) ICMA maintains representation on both of these committees through its official Standards Representative, David Tushie, Magellan Consulting. David is at the forefront of current and emerging standards for all types of cards and related devices.

Reports are available from 2011 – 2024.

ACE is a program that examines and rewards knowledge in manufacturing, personalization and advanced technologies. In-person training classes are available. Exams measure your knowledge. Learn more about the ACE program levels and topics covered.

ACE Levels
Currently ICMA offers three designations, ACE-M, ACE-P and ACE-A. Each designation is developed as a stand-alone program and does not build upon, nor require, the other designation as a precedent. Consequently, the card professional can build upon their ACE-M with the ACE-P as well as the ACE-A or alternatively, for those that specialize in personalization and fulfillment segments of the industry, can seek ACE-P separately.

ACE-M
The ACE-M designation evaluates the skills and knowledge of card manufacturing professionals and is comprised of eight key sections: PVC/Plastics, Inks, Adhesives, Printing, Collation, Lamination, Die-cutting and Standards/Testing.

ACE-P
The ACE-P designation evaluates the skills and knowledge of card personalization and fulfillment professionals in eight major categories: Printing and Barcodes, Magnetic Stripe Encoding, Embossing, Laser Engraving, Smart Card Encoding, Financial Transaction Card Data, Fulfillment, Standards/Testing.

ACE-A
The ACE-A designation evaluates the skills and knowledge of advanced card technologies in advanced materials and card construction, card technologies, security technologies, and environmental initiatives.

Private Group Training/Exams
Companies may also elect to host a private training and exam at your location with a minimum of 10 participants. Contact ICMA for details.

NEW! ACE-Commercial Virtual Training
ICMA is offering a virtual live training program, ACE-Commercial, which provides sales, marketing, customer service and other key personnel at your company the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of card manufacturing as well as typical customer questions and challenges. Click here to elevate your marketing team with ACE-Commercial!

Click here for more information, dates for training and exams and to apply. Or contact ICMA Headquarters for more information.

Gain access to recorded webinars delivered by industry experts which cover a variety of topics related to the card industry.

As a member benefit, ICMA hosts live webinars featuring an industry leader or expert, delivering a virtual presentation. Below is a list of webinar recordings currently available.

• ICMA Global and European Card Market Trends
• Effectively Designing and Introducing New Trends in Card Design and Healthcare Card Industry Overview
• ICMA North American Card Market Statistics
• Global Card and P&F 2016 Statistics Highlights
• Introduction to MasterCard’s CQM Requirements V2.16
• Global & European Card Industry Market Trends
• Developments in the Gift Card Marketplace
• How Social Media Can Manufacture Virtual Success in a Tangible Way
• What Can Card Manufacturers Infer from Current Standards Activity?
• Voice of the Customer
• UV Curable Inks
• Transactional Growth & Customer Loyalty through Mobile Application Development
• What YOU Need to Know About Card Standards
• Recent and Future Impact of Technology on Card Manufacturing
• Core Fundamentals of Card Production
• ESD Conductivity of Cards and Standards
• The World of NFC
• Preparing Your Company for What’s Next: A Report on New Developments in Card Standards