Industry certifications are important components of CTE programs and are gaining importance in the business world as evidence of skill attainment. Earning an industry certification has many benefits. It gives students a sense of accomplishment, a highly valued professional credential, and increases employability and often leads to higher starting salaries. Valid reliable certifications are also evidence of technical skill attainment. Industry certifications, therefore, are an important component of a CTE program of study.
The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 envisions that all students will achieve challenging academic and technical standards and be prepared for high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand occupations in current or emerging professions.
Motivation to include certification in curricula can be defined as an indicator or confirmation of a person’s adequate knowledge and skills in a specified occupation or a particular specialty in that occupation. Certification can be classified into two categories: Vendor specific certification, such as Cisco CCNA or Microsoft MOS, and certification issued by vendor neutral organization or professional associations such as CompTIA and ECDL. Some certificates such as the one issued by Cisco are generally issued for a defined period of time after which there is a need to pass another series of examination to demonstrate continued competency. Other certifications such as the ones issued by CompTIA do not have an expiration date.
Increasingly, employers are turning to certifications as a means to ensure that prospective employees actually do have the required skills for an occupational specialty. Employers are asking educational institutions to incorporate certification opportunities into their programs as a further way for students to demonstrate the necessary workplace skills, along with their diplomas. On the other hand, students find that certifications can be earned in a much shorter time period than full associate degree programs take, and that certification often leads to higher starting salaries.
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