Thailand, 48% of companies
planned to add additional IT
staff.
Dearth of Qualified Applicants
Businesses adding IT staff say
they’re struggling to find qualified
job candidates. According to
CompTIA research, a whopping
58%
said they’re concerned
about IT employee quality and
quantity .
One solution to address
the expanding global IT workforce
gap is to introduce international
standard, vendor neutral and
globally recognized certification
programs. Such certifications
helps train and identify qualified,
knowledgeable employees and
match them with employers who
have job vacancies.
Certifying the IT workforce
can help employers make hiring
decisions. When someone has
proper credentials or certification
on his or her resume, it brings
them to the notice of hiring
managers. It’s also positive for
the workforce. Professionals who
improve their skills, and then are
able to prove their knowledge
through certifications, can grow
their careers.
For those trying to get
a foot in the door of this evergrowing industry, certifications
can be the key to landing a job
or getting a promotion. Lakhmi
Chand Ahuja, an engineer in an
IT firm in Gujarat, India, used
his certifications to leapfrog to
an IT job at Best Buy in Canada
when he migrated to Canada
from India. His CompTIA A+
credential is transportable from
one country to another and is
being recognized globally.
“I would rate CompTIA A+
higher than many other vendor
certifications, as this certification
tests knowledge in all fields of
information technology and not
on one particular domain,” he
said. “It is a gate pass for your
first job.”
According to CompTIA’s
“Employer Perceptions of IT
Training
and
Certification”
study, it’s not just employees
who benefit. Businesses often
see an uptick in productivity
when their staff is certified
and therefore better able to
understand new technologies.
CompTIA surveyed 804 IT
hiring managers in the U.S.,
who said certified employees
are often more insightful in
problem solving and have
better project management and
communication skills.
Ricoh Singapore is a
company that has twice used
certifications to enhance the
skill-set of its staff. It realized
back in 2009 that an investment
like this translates to better
service for its customer base.
“We needed a consistent
and objective way to evaluate
our competencies,” said Bruce
Murphy,
Ricoh
Singapore’s
strategic marketing manager.
The company first used CompTIA
certifications to enhance its
global brand in office automation
equipment, and two years later
sought out another certification
in project management. “The
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