In its latest ‘Value of IT Certification’ report, Pearson VUE, the computer-based certification and licensure testing major, has revealed that the validation of skills through certification continues to have significance for professionals wherever they are on their career pathway. “The pandemic disrupted employers’ budgets for staff training, and while certification programmes were inevitably impacted, IT specialists remained committed to upgrading skills to enhance their employability and pay,” the report noted.
In 2020, IT certification grew 16% over the previous year. “With global lockdowns in play, candidates turned to Pearson VUE’s online proctored solution, OnVUE, to continue their pursuit of certification. Online test delivery increased by more than 300%. Of the respondents who said that the impact of Covid-19 was a motivating factor in earning a new certification (30%), these individuals were more likely to pursue credentials in cloud computing over other IT certifications,” Pearson VUE said.
Growth in cloud certifications aligned with companies moving to remote working models: As Covid-19 accelerated the adoption of digital tools by organisations, the survey revealed that demand for skills in cloud computing increased significantly. With nearly all businesses shifting to some form of remote working, many enterprises needed to scale cloud-based platforms (and use developers with understanding of such technologies), so their workers could access the resources they needed to work effectively from home during the pandemic. According to the respondents, 28% of all the certifications they earned in 2020 were in cloud computing (IaaS, PaaS and SaaS)—representing a 164% increase (compared to Pearson VUE’s previous ‘Value of IT Certification’ survey).
Certification leads to advancement: The report added that 61% of the candidates who hoped to advance or be promoted as result of taking their IT certification exams received a promotion by the time they completed Pearson VUE’s survey.
As technologies continue to evolve and IT professionals strive to discover even more efficient solutions to drive businesses forward, the need to upskill is a top priority. The report added that 73% of respondents sought IT certification in order to obtain specific knowledge and competencies that would help them to upskill and keep pace with changing technology trends. When asked whether they had obtained their goal for certification, candidates most concerned with upskilling (82%) had the highest rate of success.
Certification improves self-esteem and is a lifelong activity: Candidates experienced many intrinsic benefits from certification such as increased confidence in their abilities (91%), greater determination to succeed (84%), feeling more respected by colleagues (76%), greater job satisfaction (76%), and greater autonomy at work (74%).
Certification is clearly valued more when transferable to real-life work situations, and the emotional benefits of gaining certifications are a driving force for professionals to continue to upskill throughout their careers. The average number of certifications held by the candidates surveyed under 24 years old is four, while those over 55 years old have 10 certifications. Also, 86% of the candidates who earned certifications in 2020 plan to pursue additional certifications over the next 12 months.
Employers who support IT credentialing see a more productive, efficient, and loyal workforce: The report noted that employers who support employee credentialing programmes see significant improvements in their workforce, with employees being more productive, more efficient, more fulfilled and more loyal. When employers covered the costs for certification, employees were less likely to be interested in seeking new opportunities outside of the company (74% compared to 87%), ultimately reducing employee turnover.
“Last year was undoubtedly a challenging year but the global IT industry proved to be resilient. Our research shows the trust organisations have in certification to address specific business challenges, in addition to providing opportunities for personal growth,” said explained Bob Whelan, president of Pearson Assessments. “We are very encouraged by these insights from global IT professionals; people who despite difficult circumstances embraced new certifications with vigour and are set to continue the rapid pace of digital transformation accelerated by the pandemic.”