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    • Certification essential for job security

Certification essential for job security

18.6.2009
The economy is shrinking and massive downsizing seems to be the norm. Everyone is painfully aware that even more lay-offs might occur. But what effect does this have on the training and certification of IT professionals? CEO of EXIN, the Examination Institute for Information Science, Joep van Nieuwstadt shares his expectations for the future.

Quality means more
EXIN has been active for more than 25 years in improving the professionalism of the IT sector. This means that quality for EXIN is more than just providing the exams that are commercially interesting, but also providing worldwide certification opportunities for specialists, based on international and independent standards. What effect will the economic crisis then have on EXIN’s ability to bring this quality to the field of IT?

Sharpening your competitive edge
“Till now we have not suffered many of the major effects of the recession. The training and certification market is not as sensitive to frequent shifts in the economy. Of course, we are aware of the dangers, and know that more lay-offs are possible in the IT sector. IT companies will need to work that much harder in order to stay competitive,” van Nieuwstadt said. “But we expect that the demand for well-trained and certified IT professionals will always be strong and steady. Certification is a mark of success showing that one’s skills and competencies have been validated, and it offers IT professionals a strong position on the job market.”

A look at the job market
“IT companies will need to distinguish themselves more by providing proven quality, and that’s why they will continue investing, or re-investing in the short term, in training and independent certification for their employees,” continued van Nieuwstadt. The job market analysis in 2009 from the Dutch Council for Work and Income (RWI) confirms this trend. Even though unemployment is predicted to increase by about 10% in the Netherlands by the end of 2010, the RWI expects this will impact the less educated workforce. In addition, the RWI has indicated that the job market for the IT sector may be more favorable than other sectors, like healthcare for example. The reason for this is that more companies are investing in IT to reduce costs, according to the RWI. It is predicted that by 2013 the number of job openings in the IT sector will have exceeded the current figures, especially for highly educated personnel.

A worldwide impact
And the international forecast? Are investments in IT continuing? Van Nieuwstadt said, “All EXIN exams are based on internationally recognized standards. This allows us to have a significant impact on the worldwide IT sector. One of the ways we are doing this is by working closely with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) in developing the European e-Competence Framework.”

The European Commission is also investing heavily in the development of e-skills to strengthen the competitive position of Europe. This can be accomplished by ensuring that IT is accessible to all European citizens because, in the end, every sector is dependent on IT: healthcare, science, industry, telecommunications, education, etc.

“EXIN is contributing by developing training and certification programs for all levels in as many possible languages over the whole world, not only for IT professionals, but also for administrative employees and end users,” said van Nieuwstadt.

Read more about the benefits of independent certification.

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