3/19/2003 -- According to Thomson-Prometric's third annual "Global IT Training and Certification Study," while managers overall support IT certification, the sheer number of certifications available combined with a lack of experience prerequisites "has led some managers to discontinue using certification as a way to judge the skills of job candidates."

This could be an indication of larger backlash in relation to an "everyone is doing it" trend, the study states.

In a section called "Challenges and Opportunities for the IT Certification Industry," the study's authors write:

"Following its debut as a measure of skills assessment and technological competency, IT certification has grown to take on a life of its own, with many candidates pursuing certification as a means of standing out from the crowd in a tough employment market. The impact of this trend is that...certification may be in danger of being viewed as a commodity."

"While managers appreciate that a candidate has invested time and effort in becoming certified, [managers] want more assurance or proof that a certification translates into the skills and abilities necessary to function in day-to-day IT life."

According to the study, certification does appear to be losing some power in terms of bringing monetary benefits to IT professionals. Those rewarded for their certifications with salary increases dropped 4 percent in 2002 to 18 percent. Those rewarded with a promotion stayed flat at 9 percent.

The study also says that there's a "gap" in what certified professionals see as value of certification and how managers perceive it, "specifically what certification delivers in terms of performance and competence on the job."

To combat this, the study's authors recommend that certification vendors structure exams so that they measure "both the theory behind the technology and its practical, hands-on" application as well as focus more on tying experience to specific credentials.

The study also found that managers who have less experience in the IT field (15 years or fewer) are "significantly" more likely to see the value in having a technically certified staff member as compared to more experienced managers who have been in the field for 16 years or more. The study attributes this gap to an "age of certification" -- e.g., younger managers are more accepting of certification "because it was part of their career development experience."

Other interesting findings in the study, which examines a wide variety of behaviors and attitudes toward certifications by both candidates and managers, include:

• Top reasons for IT professionals to achieve certifications in 2002 were increased credibility, assessing skills and increased compensation.
• For those already certified, there was a 4 percent point drop in those seeking certification to increase salary, and a more than 50 percent drop overall in those seeking certification in order to get a new job.
• The top benefits of certification as seen by IT managers are higher level of service (22 percent), increased productivity (20 percent) and increased credibility with clients (19 percent).
• The perceived value of certification varies by region. In China, the top reason cited by IT pros to become certified is to increase productivity (33 percent). The top reason in India and the United States is to help find a job (22 percent and 19 percent, respectively). The top reason in Latin America is to increase credibility (36 percent).
• Overall, candidates in India are the most positive toward certification, and those in Europe are least likely to reap financial benefits from certification.
• Younger candidates (under 30) are more likely to see certification as a "stepping stone" than older candidates, but less likely to take an exam due to financial considerations.
• Use of all training methods is up across the board. The use of self study products rose to 87 percent, up from 61 percent in 2001. Seventy seven percent of candidates used a self-assessment test in 2002, up from 46 percent in 2001. The use of instructor-based remained fairly stable at 47 percent, up one percentage point from the previous study.
• Instructor led training is much bigger in China (88 percent) than in other regional areas.

The 2002 study uses results obtained from more than 8,000 IT professionals, including surveys of 3,036 test-takers at worldwide Prometric centers, 5,207 survey respondents who had previously taken exams at Prometric centers, and in-depth interviews with 23 IT professionals in Chicago, London and Singapore.

A PDF of the results can be downloaded from Prometric's Web site here. -B.N. with Mike Domingo, MCPMag.com.