6/11/2003 -- On June 6 IBM launched a new WebSphere certification: IBM Certified Solution Developer, WebSphere MQ version 5.3.

According to the company, this mid-level developer title is aimed at those who "design WebSphere MQ applications based upon high-level architectural designs; develop WebSphere MQ applications and exits; and test and debug WebSphere applications and exits."

To promote the new title, IBM is offering the new certification's one exam, IBM WebSphere MQ V5.3 Solution Development (#297), free to the first 100 candidates who pass an online assessment exam. More information on participating can be found here. The exam is currently live at Prometric and Pearson Vue testing centers worldwide.

IBM said this new Web Sphere title replaces IBM's Certified Developer, MQSeries certification, which will retire at the end of the year. For more information on these changes to IBM's WebSphere certification program, click here.

In other IBM certification news, the company recently released three new Advanced Deployment Tivoli certifications, two of which require third-party security certifications (from CompTIA or SANS). More information about these titles can be found here.

IBM also recently introduced a new area of certification, U2. More information about the first title in this area, IBM Certified Solution Expert, U2 Family Application Development, can be found here.

Finally, the company just announced a free online training course, DB2 UDB Administration Fastpath, for candidates who are updating their DB2 certification(s). More information on this offer can be found here. -Becky Nagel