Sidebar: A Better Way?

Mary K. Pratt   Today’s Top Stories    or  Other Careers Stories  

Learn-Fast Guide: It's All About You Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts

September 05, 2005 (Computerworld) -- William Butler deviated from the standard teaching material when he taught A+ and N+ certification courses a few years ago to students studying desktop configuration and networking.
Butler, an IT technician with the Gilmer Independent School District, says he threw "kinks" into the usual course work. He wanted his students to learn to apply book-based knowledge to real work situations -- something he says standard courses often fail to teach.
He's not alone in his belief. Other IT leaders also say certification courses don't always teach students to apply their knowledge to everyday IT problems. They say the process needs to be strengthened if certifications are to retain their value.
"I would love to see certification demonstrate that performing well on the exams correlates to one's success in using that tool. I don't think they have done that," says Jerry Luftman, associate dean of graduate IT programs at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Butler goes even further. He suggests an overhaul that would apply old-fashioned learning methods to high-tech jobs. "Have an individual apprentice, much the way that licensed electricians do," he says. "At the end of the apprenticeship, they'll receive their certification."
A new certification moves in that direction. The Open Group LLC, a technology consortium in San Francisco, recently started a certification program that defines a set of standards for measuring the skills and experience of IT architects . "The thrust of our program is experience," says Graham Bird, vice president of marketing at The Open Group. "What candidates have to demonstrate for this certification is all about doing the job."
Bird says there's a need to separate architects with proven track records from job seekers padding their resumes. The new certification would let employers quickly know a candidate's qualifications, he says.
To earn this certification, applicants will have to go before a board of their peers to prove their skills. "It's not a 'Can I take an hour exam?' type [of] exercise," Bird says. "This program is intended to capitalize on the value of experience."

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

Sidebar: A Better Way? Certifiable

"This meeting's purpose is to discuss getting rid of several aging mainframe printers, and you'd think it wouldn't be a..." Read more... "The recent revalations regarding the City of San Francisco's Fibre WAN municipal network hijack by a disgruntled employee underscore the..." Read more... Read more Careers posts or See all Blogs

Elgan: You can be Batman, too Study: IT jobs will drop in 2009 RIM fixes critical BlackBerry Enterprise Server bug More top stories...

Apple's recall demand would probably kill Psystar, says IP attorney DNS flaw discoverer says more permanent fixes will be needed AT&T muffs free iPhone Wi-Fi offer again

11 cool new apps for the iPhone With the opening of Apple's App Store, the iPhone takes a revolutionary leap from cool mobile phone to hot mobile platform. See our list of apps you should definitely check out for yourself. Google is doing WHAT? Its motto is "Don't be evil" — but it looks like anything and everything else imaginable is pretty much fair game — not to mention some wildly rumored projects that we asked the company to confirm or deny. The new face of R&D: What's cooking at IBM, HP and Microsoft The talk at three big research houses is all about "open innovation." Is that a feel-good catchphrase or the R&D strategy of the future? Review: The iPhone 3G was worth the wait After months of waiting for a 3G-based iPhone — and hours waiting in line to actually buy one — Ryan Faas says it "packs quite a punch, both in its design and in the 3G and GPS capabilities" it offers. Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland SecurityAsk a Premier 100 IT LeaderBlackBerry Legal BattleData Security BreachesElectronic VotingFirefoxH-1B VisasHP's Boardroom ScandalHandheld DevicesHurricane Katrina AftermathMicrosoft Legal IssuesMicrosoft's VistaOpen SourceRFID TechnologySCO's Linux FightSarbanes-Oxley ActSpamVoice Over IPWi-FiWindows Meta File VulnerabilityWindows XP Service Pack 3 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders2006 Salary Survey2007 Best Places to Work in IT2007 IT Forecast2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders40 Years of ComputerworldASPs, Take TwoBest Places to Work in IT 2003Best Places to Work in IT 2004Best Places to Work in IT 2005Best Places to Work in IT 2006Business Intelligence Home RunsBusiness Intelligence: Smarter BIBusiness Intelligence: The Future of BICRM Goes VerticalCRM: Sober CRMCareer Planning Guide 2005Careers: IT Profession 2010Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005Data Management: Mining for GemsData Management: Taming Data ChaosDevelopment: Hard-Workin' Web SitesDevelopment: New Tools New ChoicesDevelopment: The New World of Application DevelopmentDevelopment: The Web Services TsunamiDevelopment: Web Services HurdlesDisaster Recovery: Preparing for the WorstE-commerce Grows UpE-mail/Groupware: Big DecisionsFaces of Mobile ITForecast 2006Global MobileHardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple ChallengesHardware: On-Demand Un-HypedHardware: The Shape of Things to ComeHorizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge TechnologiesIT Management: Guide to Managing VendorsIT Management: Navigating Global ITIT Management: Recovery AheadIT Management: The Future of ITIT Management: The Resourceful Project ManagerInnovative Technology Awards 2004Management: Reinventing ITMicrosoft in TransitionMobile/Wireless Leaders and LaggardsMobile/Wireless: The Untethered WorkerMobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge CostsNetwork Management: Taking ControlNetworking: Turbulence Ahead!Networking: VoIP Goes MainstreamOperating Systems: In the Slow LaneOperating Systems: Linux Goes GlobalOperating Systems: Should You Nix Unix?Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's GuideOutsourcing: Outsourcing DangersPremier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in ClassPremier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in ClassROI: Do the Math!Salary Survey 2003Salary Survey 2004Salary Survey 2005Security Action PlanSecurity: Compliance HeadachesSecurity: Proactive SecuritySecurity: Risk and RewardSecurity: Tips From Security ProsSouped-up SecurityStorage: Battling ComplexityStorage: Cheap & Secure Data StoresStorage: Stretching Your Storage DollarsStorage: The Lean Storage MachineStorage: The New Rules of StorageStorage: The Ultimate Backup GuideSupply Chain: Missing LinksSupply Chain: RFID Reality CheckThe Business of SecurityWeb 2.0 SecurityWireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Business Continuity Zone Data Center Management Zone Enterprise-Class Security Zone The File Data Management Zone Grid Computing on Windows Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Storage Virtualization Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone See your link here

Computerworld Technology Briefing: An open-source path to optimal virtualization Download this Technology Briefing now! (Source: Novell/IBM/Intel) Virtualization is about a lot more than just lowering total cost of ownership. In fact users that have taken an open source path to virtualization have realized the additional, mission-critical benefit of markedly reduced IT complexity, as well as a more flexible infrastructure that is easier to change to meet shifting, often unpredictable business requirements. Download this executive briefing  Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Download this webcast, free, compliments of Sterling Commerce Go to the webcast  Driving Business Success Through Workgroup Choice and Flexibility Download this white paper, free, compliments of Novell! (Source: Novell) The structure of your workgroup environment plays a vital role in enabling your knowledge workers to be productive and collaborate securely. And IT choice and flexibility can mean the difference between reactive spending and proactive investment. Boost your competitive advantage with a workgroup infrastructure that lets you deliver the tools and services that are right for you. Download this white paper to learn how Novell offers a variety of solutions that give you the flexibility to address critical business initiatives and workforce productivity. Download this white paper  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. New Fujitsu High-End Itanium Windows- and Linux-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Offer the Utmost in High Availability New Fujitsu High-End Itanium-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Offer Industry-Leading System Management for Linux and Windows Web Security SaaS: The Next Generation of Web Security View more whitepapers

• Sidebar: A Better Way?
• Certifiable

• Elgan: You can be Batman, too
• Study: IT jobs will drop in 2009
• RIM fixes critical BlackBerry Enterprise Server bug
• More top stories 

Protecting Exchange While it was once just a convenient way for employees to communicate internally, today e-mail systems like Exchange are tightly integrated with other business applications and are one of the primary methods for communicating with current and prospective customers. Protecting Exchange against costly downtime has become a top priority for more IT departments. So how do you ensure that your Exchange environment is always protected? Download this white paper now!

Computerworld's Salary Survey Are you earning a fair wage? Take our survey now and enter a drawing to win one of 10 Sony 8" portable DVD players! Take the Salary Survey.