A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

A Parallel Postsecondary Universe: The Certification System in Information Technology - October 2000

Executive Summary

This report describes a new system of credentialing that has arisen in the information technology and telecommunications industries over the past decade. It compares this system to traditional higher education, identifying both similarities and dissimilarities, and points to some cases in which the two interact. Among its findings:

General

• Both corporate vendors and industry/professional associations have created over 300 discrete certifications since the first such credential (Certified Novell Engineer, or CNE) was issued in 1989.
• Approximately 1.6 million individuals worldwide earned approximately 2.4 million information technology certifications by early 2000. Most of the certifications have been earned since 1997.
• About half of those who earned certification did so outside the United States, but we know very little else about the backgrounds and demographic characteristics of those certified. Indirect evidence, however, suggests that the age distribution of this group is dropping and that the proportion without bachelor's degrees is rising.
• About one out of eight job advertisements in information technology now mention the certifications, not as requirements for hiring, rather as a "plus" for applicants. In contrast, one out of five advertisements indicate that degrees are required.

Examinations

• Information technology certifications are earned by passing examinations administered by third parties. Three corporations administered over 3 million examinations in 140 countries in 1999.
• A large industry has arisen to prepare candidates for these examinations. This industry includes organizations (including some traditional colleges and universities) that provide course work, Web sites that offer tutorials and practice examinations, and a mass of self-study books and CD-ROMs.
• Examinations are constantly updated to reflect the current state of knowledge and practice, and to maintain certification, individuals must take the new examinations and engage in continuing professional education.

Course Work and its Providers

• While formal course work is not required to prepare for certification, the volume of offerings and providers worldwide is considerable.
• Most providers are not part of the universe that reports data on enrollments, credentials awarded, faculty and staff, etc. in the annual postsecondary data collection of the U.S. Department of Education.
• Some higher education institutions have been active participants in the certification programs, with models of collaboration ranging from linking "challenge examinations" to credits, incorporating multiple certifications into bachelor's degrees, and awarding their own certifications based on curricular packages purchased from for-profit developers.
• The entities that provide the course work are authorized to do so by the sponsor of the certification, which ensures that course content and quality of instruction meet the sponsor's standards.
• Instructors who lead the course work must themselves be certified both in content areas and in teaching and assessment practice.
• The industry has established a Council on Computing Certification to develop standards for accrediting certification programs.

Costs of Certification

• Costs vary by certification program and the extent to which candidates take formal course work from different types of providers. Examination fees range from $50 to $1,000 (the latter for hands-on laboratory performance exams), and some certifications require five or more examinations.
• The limited information we possess suggests that employers cover the costs of certification for over half of the candidates.

Summary

The summary section of this report emphasizes the major themes of the certification system and its relationship to higher education:

• The system is global and operates in many languages.
• The student, not the institution, is at the center of the system.
• The system has brought competency-based education and performance assessment to a status they have never enjoyed within traditional higher education.
• Certifications replace neither experience nor degrees, and the IT system does not pretend to be higher education.

The summary also indicates the critical need for more information on certification candidates and providers of course work, since the new system is now large enough to play a role in state and national planning for postsecondary education.

[Title Page][Introduction]