CompTIA Certifications Deliver Success

Contacts:
Elizabeth J. Spalding, CompTIA
(630) 268-1818, ext. 330
espalding@comptia.org

Donald W. Boucher, Prometric
443.923.8031
donald.boucher@prometric.com

In Challenging Job Market, Survey Highlights IT Training and Certification as Route to Career Advancement, Salary Hike

Survey Released by IT Leaders CompTIA and Prometric Underscores Value of Training and Certification

(October 30, 2001) A new survey released jointly by CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association, and Prometric, global leaders in technology training and certification, shows that information technology (IT) training and certification are elements crucial to increased productivity, credibility and compensation for professionals in the IT industry. The 2001 Global Training and Certification Study, which polled nearly 18,000 IT managers, certification candidates and certified professionals, was conducted by Gartner Consulting to better understand global training and certification needs, and to provide more information about how and why IT training decisions are made.

The research showed that both IT professionals and managers consider technology training and certification to be critical to career development and quality control within IT departments. Two-thirds (66 percent) of professionals certified indicated that their salaries increased after becoming certified and more than half (52 percent) cited increased productivity as a reason to seek certification. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of IT managers cite a higher level of service as a key benefit of having certified staff, followed by a competitive advantage (59 percent) and increased productivity (57 percent).

"In the current economic environment, certification and training can catapult an IT professional's career," said Lutz Ziob, CompTIA's Vice President of Certification. "Despite an overall high unemployment rate in this country, the IT workforce shortage continues to be a huge problem. Training and certification can not only provide a viable pathway for entry into IT for untrained and non-certified individuals, but can also increase compensation and employee market value for current IT professionals during a time when most industries and employees are feeling the pain of an economic decline."

The survey also indicated that employers are now taking IT training very seriously. More than half of IT managers (53 percent) have allocated budgets for employee training, indicating corporate endorsement of ongoing training. Six out of ten IT managers also indicate that when they develop budgets, certification is included and can account for up to 25 percent of the total training budget. Nearly 40 percent of IT professionals underwent IT training due to a recommendation from an employer.

"The demand for IT professionals who are lifelong learners is stronger than ever," said Michael Brannick, President and CEO, Prometric. "Companies continue to stress the importance of ongoing training as an employee differentiator and competitive business advantage. Individuals are realizing that the benefits of training go way beyond keeping up-to-date with current technology applications. IT training helps employees keep their jobs in this competitive marketplace, and it also opens doors to advanced career opportunities and increased salaries. The benefits for employers and employees of combining job specific IT training with certification are limitless."

The research also showed that training and certification often go hand in hand. Certification candidates who finished classroom training were more likely to pass certification tests, and 40 percent of managers cited training as the key factor in obtaining a certification. Sixty-four percent of certified individuals believe that both training and certification are beneficial to professional development, and more than 70 percent of certified professionals indicated that they would pursue training even if it did not lead to certification.

Certification and training are also key factors in employee retention and satisfaction. Contrary to popular perceptions, the survey showed that professionals who gain certifications do not obtain the certifications in order to change jobs. Of the certified professionals that were surveyed, 71 percent did not change employers after gaining certification. Additionally, an overwhelming majority of managers (more than 90 percent) polled stated that certified individuals offer substantial benefits with very few drawbacks, indicating that employers and managers clearly recognize the value of training and certification for a multitude of reasons, including employee development.

The survey also showed that most IT professionals use a blended approach in preparing for IT certification, which points to the need for both formal facility, corporate training and self study. IT professionals cited instructor-led classroom training as the most useful method to prepare for certification (24 percent), followed closely by printed materials for self study (23 percent). A higher proportion of IT professionals that used both self-study and self-assessment tests in preparation for certification exams passed their courses (51 percent) compared to candidates who used all other methodologies.

Complete survey results can be found online by visiting www.comptia.org or www.prometric.com.

About CompTIA
CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association, is a not-for-profit trade association providing the technology community standards in the areas of Internet-enabled service provision, e-commerce, vendor-neutral technical certification, CRM, public policy, workforce development and training. Representing the converging computing and communications market, CompTIA has more than 8,000 corporate members in 60 countries and thousands of individual professional members. Almost half a million individuals worldwide have earned CompTIA certifications. More information is available at www.comptia.org and www.xspertise.com

About Prometric®, a Thomson Learning company
Prometric (www.prometric.com) is the global leader in the delivery of technology-based testing and assessment services for information technology certification, academic admissions, and professional licensure/certification, delivering standardized tests for more than 200 clients, in 25 languages, through a network of more than 4,200 testing centers in 128 countries. Based in Baltimore, Md., Prometric employs more than 3,000 employees worldwide.

Prometric is the technology-based testing division of Thomson Learning (www.thomsonlearning.com), one of the world's leading providers of learning solutions. Thomson Learning serves the needs of individuals, learning institutions, and corporations with products and services for traditional and electronic learning. Thomson Learning is part of the Thomson Corporation, a leading, global e-information and solutions company in the business and professional marketplace with 2000 revenues of U.S. $6.0 billion. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the Toronto and London Stock Exchanges.