Cisco announced on January 20th, 2010 the first significant changes to their cornerstone certification, the Cisco's Certified Network Professional (CCNP). Microsoft last year retired their predominant certification, the Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE) replacing it with entire new certification architecture. The Open Group (http://www.opengroup.org/certification/ ), a vendor neutral training and certification entity, announced significant changes to their IT Architect and IT Specialist programs. The list goes on as many more IT product vendors and IT organizations are changing the way they train and certify their members.
What are the changes? Why has 2009-2010 seen so many changes? Are the changes good for our industry? Below are three highlighted areas of changes outlined and explained:
1) The Preparation
Traditionally to prepare for most certifications you attended a course or read the self-study material. However, due to the many changes in testing (see bullet item #2 below), this type of knowledge isn’t necessarily the knowledge that is being tested anymore. Preparing for the latest certifications has changed and requires a much deeper set of real project experience. The use of blended learning changes the way we prepare. This model may not increase the use of e-learning or other self-paced materials; it formalizes the use of it into the overall certification curriculum. An example of this is part of the new Cisco path called Route v1.0 in which a five-day instructor-led course to “plan, configure, and verify the implementation of enterprise LAN and WAN routing includes more than seven hours of e-learning lessons and demos that students can absorb at their own pace”.
2) The Test
Virtually all IT certifications had been based on an individual’s ability to recollect knowledge and pass a computer-based test. While this method is tried and true, it is not sufficient to establish if the individual knows how to use that knowledge. Lest we forget also that this type of exam is ripe with fraud. In order to determine experience, the latest trend is done via in-depth reviews by peers who have that capability. These peers accept written and verbal proof along with hands on evidence that the knowledge can be applied by the student. If the applicant does not pass, these peers offer suggestions for meeting the criteria for subsequent attempts. If candidates can achieve a level of certification based on their skills and experience rather than simply learning the answers to knowledge-based questions, they can differentiate themselves from their peers even greater.
3) Experience profiles
More and more of the higher-level certifications require that you keep a record of experience of projects using different technologies and methodologies to build up some “experience profiles”. The candidate prepares a package presenting a record of their skills and experience. Recording decisions made and methods used as part of a successful project will prove invaluable when completing the highest, most valuable, future application submissions.
Certification has been central to IT Learning for more than a decade. During this time there have been many changes in both the technologies available and the skills organizations require their IT professionals to have. While certifications are regularly enhanced, these latest changes are designed to ensure that the skills and knowledge learned are a more accurate reflection of the daily skills required by the IT Learner designed to be more predictive of job readiness.
As always, I look forward to your continued feedback and feel free to contact me anytime at bob.austin@itlearnblog.com
