As many as 37 per cent of candidates who invested in certification courses to find better job opportunities claim to have received salary increases after earning their certifications. An additional 42 per cent are still anticipating receiving one, while 27 per cent have accepted job promotions, according to the 2023 Value of IT Certification Candidate Report.
“It is clear that certification enabled the acquisition of new skills, qualifying candidates for better and more rewarding jobs,” says Dr Gary Gates, Managing Director, Pearson VUE. Further, credentialed employees are more empowered and contribute greater value. The report found that 92 per cent of candidates are more confident in their abilities, and 81 per cent have more confidence to explore new job opportunities, the survey stated.
“Respondents, therefore, confirmed that they believe that certification not only increases mobility for them as employees but also increases profitability for the companies that they work for,” Dr Gates added. “By gaining certifications, candidates are well placed to better their current work conditions or enhance their prospects when exploring new job opportunities.”
Skills gaps will shrink faster, as younger people pursue certifications and do so earlier in their learning journeys, claims the survey. Younger generations are adopting certification at higher rates than their more mature counterparts and getting started sooner. Proportions of first-time candidates 34 years and younger increased, while those 55 years and older decreased, the survey added. 42 per cent of Gen Z and 15 per cent of millennials considered certification as students compared to just 7 per cent of Baby Boomers.
The report also indicates that the pandemic’s disruptive impacts are here to stay, having accelerated the arrival of the “future” workplace, where technology skills have become baseline requirements. IT certification has historically been viewed as a solution for “future-proofing” the workforce; enabling businesses to quickly respond to skills gaps by upskilling existing employees. As a result of the pandemic, the skills previously required to “future-proof” a business are now critical success factors, with the report showing that 65 per cent of candidates and 55 per cent of their employers increased investments in IT skilling.
Candidates preferred self-directed preparation methods over enrollment in training courses and relied more on online sources to prepare for and take exams. 86 per cent of respondents who enrolled in exam prep courses opted for online delivery of those courses, the report stated.
“We had no doubt that the trends emerging from the pandemic would have far-reaching and lasting implications on the workplace and certification. What has become evident is that remote working and learning is here to stay, and with that the demand for the necessary skills and certifications that will support this new way of working and learning. As we move into a post-pandemic era, we are faced with stark realities: enduring talent shortages, remote or hybrid working routines have become the norm, and now more than ever employers are desperate to fill crucial skills gaps with certified candidates,” Dr Gates added.
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