THE RENAISSANCE OF INDUSTRY-CERTIFICATION | BEAUTIFUL THINKING

While it may well have once been sufficient for a professional to gain and rely on knowledge &\or skills gained via “on the job” experience, many newcomers into the industry have no baseline to judge their starting point from – particularly those later in life to industry having journey through the tertiary experience.

Relatedly, word of mouth reputational references to verify experience written on candidate resumes, which espouse digital capabilities, are no longer relied upon solely in the hiring process. Firms, globally, and in advanced societies are increasingly demanding digitally-verified accreditation of competence. At Eunoia, therefore, we argue that investment in professional, digital &\or industry certification fills the void between what secondary and tertiary education has failed, even refused, to offer career and professional pursuits. And, addresses concerns with resume reliability.

It is important to note, with that said, that Industry certifications build and validate the “vocational, competency and technical perspective” in a person which must be directly supported by a portfolio of evidence of experience in preferred field or fields; as well as references.

When it comes to certification itself, lower or entry level certifications do not necessarily exemplify content mastery, but do indicate that a professional is committed to self-improvement, willing to, and can be, trained. Many professionals agree that someone who passes the an entry-level certification isn’t an instant expert on the material or field of work they are entering (entry level tech support or accounting, for example). But if that candidate had the attitude, the will power and commitment to learn the content, deal with the unknown and problem-solve upon the training platforms; to undertake an examination and achieve a passing score, they are more than likely able to contribute ideas, think-before-acting, take direction and are trainable to “hone” their skills to real world applicable context.

Accordingly - learning on the job isn’t always ideal or professional. It does little for a firm’s talent-retention odds. This also holds especially true for higher level, advanced certifications that cover content which is difficult to master without sufficient hands on experience.

Industry certifications earned independently &\or through in-firm workforce development programmes programs and courses are an important component of New Zealand’s post-COVID regeneration.

Certification, with applied workforce development initiatives in particular, represent to the business community/employers that they will hire and retain qualified professionals who will make highly contributory, productive and idea-geared employees. With resolving talent attraction and retention challenges at the forefront of most business owners, leaders and manager’s minds, offering internationally recognised certification as part of the firm’s workforce programme means that the firm is able to project a message that it is:

1. within an industry of relevance and seeking to boost its digital present

2. offering employment in areas emerging and of the latest technological focus

3. demonstrably investing in employees with transferable skills and opportunities that reach beyond remuneration

Thus, for the candidate, certification is still classed as tiebreaker in a tight decision for hiring managers. Staffing firms are more likely to place professionals with IT certifications than those without them. For firms, the benchmarking tools available for work-force development &\or pre-certification, that are actually available in-firm [on-demand], enable rapid validation of candidate suitability pre-employment offer or as part of the negotiation/hiring process. Certification, in this regard, is a significant and indispensable insurance to the quality of a firm’s Digital capabilities.