Protective Coating Technician

CERTIFICATION

Protective Coatings Technician Certification

Strengthen your professional credibility in protective coatings with our Protective Coatings Technician Certification. Designed for early-career coatings professionals, this certification validates your technical knowledge in coating systems, surface prep, application, and inspection.

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Protective Coatings Technician Certification
Delivery

In-Person

Languages

English

Certification

Valid for 3 years

Overview

The PCS-1 Basic Principles Certification is intended for professionals who already have 1–2 years of industry experience or a combination of experience and a relevant degree. It verifies your understanding of key protective-coating concepts including coating system selection, surface preparation standards, application methods, quality control practices, inspection techniques, and instrument use.

Certified individuals demonstrate the technical competence and professional judgment needed to contribute effectively to industrial coating projects.

Who it's for

  • Maintenance Planners
  • Engineers
  • Supervisors / Foreman
  • Project Engineers
  • Project Managers

Steps to certification

  1. Meet work experience requirements

    Bachelor's degree in physical sciences or engineering with 1 year of verifiable work experience in the protective coatings field

    OR

    2 years of verifiable work experience in the protective coatings field

  2. Enroll and complete course requirements

    Successful completion of the Ethics for the Corrosion Professional course or an equivalent training

  3. Meet certification requirements

    Approved Protective Coating Technician Application

    Basic Corrosion Course and Corrosion Foundations Micro-Credential

  4. Take required exams

    Certification Exam – NACE PCS 1 - Basic Principles Exam (delivered via Examity)

Looking to renew your certification?

Visit My Certification Portal to log and manage your work experience and Professional Development Hours (PDH's) needed. Your work experience and PDH's will be submitted as part of your renewal application but you can input PDH's at any time.

View Renewal Guide  |  My Certification Portal

Guides and resources

Looking for Exam Preparation Guides?

To help you prepare for your exam, we have a library of Exam Preparation Guides to support your specific exam.

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Certification resources

Ethics for the corrosion professional

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Need help finding something?

Can’t find the course you’re looking for, or have questions, you can connect with our Customer Support team via email or phone to get dedicated help!

Email customer support

Send us an email and one of our friendly Customer Support team members will connect with you soon.

Please note that we have a limited number of Spanish/Chinese-speaking representatives.

Email customer support

Give us a call

We are available Monday - Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. US Central Standard Time (CST) and Friday from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. US Central Standard Time (CST).

US: 1-800-797-6223
International: +1-281-228-6200

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