Scheme Committees

Independent Scheme Committees are a key part of EC-Council’s certification governance. Each EC-Council certification accredited by ANAB under ISO/IEC 17024 (C|EH, C|EH (Practical), C|CISO, C|ND, C|HFI, E|CIH, CCT and CPENT) is overseen by its own Scheme Committee. ISO/IEC 17024 expects certification schemes to be developed and reviewed with the involvement of appropriate experts, through a structure in which no single interest predominates. Our Scheme Committees bring the judgement of practising professionals into every key decision about what a certification measures and how it is awarded.

What the Scheme Committee Does

• Reviews and validates the job task analysis that defines the role being certified.
• Approves the exam blueprint.
• Reviews exam content for accuracy and relevance.
• Takes part in standard setting to establish the passing standard.
• Reviews and approves certification policies.
• Decides on candidate appeals referred to it.

Tenure

• All members, including the Chair and Vice Chair, serve a single three-year term.
• Terms cannot be renewed, so each Committee is regularly renewed with fresh perspectives.
• A member may step down before the end of their term by informing the Chair and the EC-Council Secretariat, ideally with 30 days’ notice.
• After their term, former members may join EC-Council’s training division only after a one-year cooling-off period.

Roles

• Chair: leads the Committee, coordinates and assigns its work, conducts its meetings and ensures it follows EC-Council’s certification policies.
• Vice Chair: supports the Chair, acts on the Chair’s behalf when needed and succeeds the Chair if the position falls vacant.
• Members: review and approve the elements of the certification scheme, serve on task forces and report on the Committee’s work.
• EC-Council Secretariat: a non-voting EC-Council staff member who organizes meetings, inducts new members, maintains records, facilitates elections and supports the Committee.

Each Committee elects its Chair and Vice Chair from among its own members. There are no nominations or candidates: in separate votes for each position, facilitated by the Secretariat, every member may vote for any fellow member they consider best suited to the role. The member who receives the highest number of votes for each position is elected to it, and votes for the two positions are counted independently. An election is valid only when a minimum proportion of the Committee’s members has voted.

How the Committee Works

• The Committee meets every quarter, with additional meetings when required.
• Decisions are taken collectively by member vote, at meetings that meet a minimum attendance & process requirement.
• Proceedings are minuted, and confidential information is protected.

Independence and Impartiality

• Members may not act as EC-Council proctors or operate an EC-Council authorized training center.
• The non-renewable term and cooling-off period keep certification decisions separate from training and commercial interests.
• EC-Council staff support the Committee but do not vote on its decisions or elections.
• Membership and Committee activities are free from discrimination of any kind.

These safeguards support EC-Council’s wider commitment to impartiality, fairness and objectivity in all certification activities, as set out in our Impartiality Statement.

Contact

For questions about the Scheme Committees, please contact [email protected].