Leading tech industry association evaluates new credentials in data analytics/science, Python security and expert level technical skills
CompTIA, the world leader in vendor-neutral skills certifications for the global technology workforce, said it is exploring a significant expansion of its certification program with new credentials in data analytics/science, Python security and expert level technical skills.
The potential new certifications, which could hit the market as soon as 2020, would be in addition to the comprehensive scheduled updates of CompTIA’s current certifications.
“We engage in regular, structured dialogue with employers, industry partners and subject matter experts as part of our rigorous exam development process,” said Todd Thibodeaux, CompTIA president and CEO. “Through this process we’ve identified several areas within the tech ecosystem where job roles have become well defined and a vendor-neutral certification is needed.
“In some instances, a new certification addresses current gaps in skills,” he continued. “In others, it enables tech professionals to add new skills related to the emerging technologies that are expanding their footprints within companies.”
Data analytics and data science is an example of where a professional certification could spark faster adoption of a technology solution with the potential to deliver great benefits.
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“As businesses collect more data more frequently from more sources, they have a growing need for skilled workers with the ability to take the raw data, analyze it and turn it into actionable intelligence,” Thibodeaux explained. “This requires not only expertise in analytics and problem solving, but also an ability to connect the dots between data streams, data infrastructure, data processing, data visualization and data governance.”
CompTIA is currently recruiting data experts from academia, private industry and the public sector to serve on an advisory panel that will guide its early work on a potential data analyst/data scientist certification. Data experts interested in joining this panel may contact Teresa Sears, senior director, certification products.
CompTIA is also evaluating an expansion of its industry leading line of cybersecurity certifications by adding a new security credential linked to the Python programing language. Python is among today’s fastest growing and most popular programming languages used for software and web development, data analysis, machine learning and many other areas.
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In a move that would build on its popular selection of foundational level technical skills certification, CompTIA has also begun exploratory work on creating an expert level of technical certifications.
For example, CompTIA Linux+, which validates the competencies required of an early career system administrator supporting Linux systems, could be coupled with a Linux Expert credential for tech professionals who have advanced in their careers are more deeply immersed in the Linux operating system.
A new and updated edition of the CompTIA Linux+ certification released in April has generated a positive response in the marketplace, an indicator of the growing importance of Linux skills in enterprise network environments and advanced applications. That enthusiasm makes it likely that CompTIA will develop a new certification around advanced Linux skills, according to Thibodeaux.
Several current CompTIA certifications are accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) under the ISO 17024 standard. Adherence to this standard in the exam development process, combined with input from thousands of subject matter experts, allow CompTIA to create new credentials that meet the needs of both technology professionals and the companies that employ them.
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