Established in 1991 through a legislative mandate, the Professional Standards Commission (PSC) is a separate government agency that works under the Georgia Department of Education. It is charged with responsibilities for establishing a certification and licensure process that is streamlined, understandable and flexible in order to remove barriers and to attract qualified individuals to the education profession. The commission works to simplify the process of certifying educational personnel in Georgia and attracts the highest possible number of qualified personnel to become educators in Georgia. Located in Atlanta, the Professional Standards Commission also promotes the hiring of qualified educators from other states and improves the level of the preparation of educators.