Under the agreement, ITFP shall be responsible for developing training regulations, including qualifications, competency standards, training standards and assessment arrangements using PTQCS format and procedures.  ITFP will also develop assessment tools and accredit assessment centers and competency assessors, subject to oversight and confirmation of TESDA.  All certification will still be issued by TESDA.

Certification is all about expertise and credibility, it is the affirmation of one's skill.  No questions shall be asked if you're an I.T. certified professional except the entity that certified your skills.  As I mentioned in my previous article, companies like Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, SAP, IBM, and more also offer their own certification programs which of course is more expensive than what TESDA will be charging.  But putting the cost aside, the center of focus here is QUALITY and CREDIBILITY.  Will the TESDA certification be at par with the certification provided by hardware and software companies?  Will second best be enough?  Will the TESDA certification be acceptable to the business community?  The answer will depend on the quality of certified professionals TESDA will be producing in the very near future.

The next question is does certification guarantee a secure job for the I.T. professional?  Is it also a guarantee that I.T. certified professionals would be paid more than non I.T. certified professionals?  I would say that there will always be a premium given to certified professionals given the expertise and savings it provides to companies in terms of training and performance assurance.  But market changes and other factors tend to dispute this argument.

Management consultancy and IT compensation and workforce management research firm Foote Partners reveals that premium pay for non-certified applications development skills increased 17.6 percent in value in the twelve months ending October 1, 2005. Certified AD skills are up 13.2 percent in the same period.  Overall premium pay for 94 non-certified skills surveyed in the Quarterly Hot Technical Skills and Certifications Pay Index (50,000 IT professionals in 1,820 North American employers), grew 9.9 percent in value for the twelve months ending October 1, 2005, and nearly 5 percent in 2005, to an average 7 percent of base salary in median premium paid. Pay for 95 certified tech skills has also risen, by 7.9 percent overall in the past year, to an average 8.2 percent of base salary.

Foote Partners LLC is a New Canaan, Connecticut based general management consultancy and IT compensation and workforce management research firm founded in 1997.  It advises governments and corporations worldwide on increasing performance and achieving business goals through maximizing collaboration and integration of the IT, business, and HR resources.

A 2004 study indicated that the salary of I.T. professionals is declining due to offshore outsourcing, and the 2005 increase is due to post-SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley) compliance spending behavior but also to the fact that companies are in-sourcing applications development that might have been outsourced 18 months ago.  Other contributing factors for the rise in pay are:  Emerging hybrid jobs blending IT and operations responsibilities; Government regulation; and Return of merger and acquisition activity. 

Non-certified skills gaining most value are: SQL Windows; Websphere; Microsoft.Net.  Certified skills gaining most value are: Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP); Certified Information Systems Auditor; HP/Compaq Accredited Systems Engineer (ASE); HP/Compaq Master Accredited Systems Engineer (MASE); IBM Lotus Certified Application Developer; IBM Lotus Certified Associate Systems Administrator; Sun Certified Enterprise Architect for Java 2 Platform; Sun Certified Programmer for Java 2 Platform; and Sun Certified Systems Administrator for Solaris.

Included in its research, Foote Partners LLC also provided what it thinks will be the In-Demand IT Jobs for 2006:

Customer-Facing
* Applications developers (EAI, .Net, web applications, ERP, CRM); Web apps programmers; Data Warehousing/BI specialists; ERP/CRM professionals; DBAs, Database developers; Help desk specialists.

Infrastructure
Security (forensics, analysts, senior managers); Data modelers (enterprise data mgmt.); Network managers, engineers; Wireless engineers, administrators; Software engineers; Disaster recovery specialist; System auditor; Integrators (Enterprise Applications Integration, systems); Storage administrators.

Enablers
Architects (Enterprise, Business); Business technologists; Business analysts; Process modelers (BPM/BPR, BPA, BAM); Project managers.

For Technical Skills, the following will be In-Demand for 2006:

Customer-Facing
Applications Development/Database (MCSD, SQL, Java, .Net, ASP,SQL Windows, Oracle); RAD/Extreme Programming; Web-enabled analytics, Management apps (MAPICS); Database (SQL Server, Oracle); RFID.

Infrastructure
Networking (Cisco, VoIP, wireless, Net management); Wireless (WLAN, Cisco WLSE/CWSP/CWNP/CWNP, Structured Wireless Aware Network/SWAN); Security (Cisco, CISA, CISSP, CISM, GIAC); Systems (HP/Compaq SE, Citrix); Web services/SOA (WebSphere, .Net, MCSD/.Net, SOAP); Storage/SAN (EMC, Veritas, IBM, CA); Messaging (MCSE and MCSA Messaging specialization).

Enabling Project management (PMP); Open Source/Linux.

Certified or not certified, the bottomline still is what you know deep down inside.  How confident you are and your willingness to learn new knowledge will be key.  Expertise alone will not guarantee you success, it should be combined with Character, Humility. Professionalism, Flexibility and Dedication.  Arrogance and Greed are the two things you have to avoid or you will surely fail.  Develop the skills and the good traits, you can be assured that you will go places.

*****

Announcement: Watch out for the Powertips 2006 "Security Secrets and Strategies" conference.

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