Take caution in the quest for training

In response to last night`s edition of Special Assignment on SABC 3 about local education and training practices, the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) Africa sends out a clear message: there are ways to confirm the authentication of training providers and institutions.

As recognised ICT industry representative body, CompTIA Africa is well aware of the plight of IT students aspiring to find employment in the sector. The industry association has some pointers to help people separate the good from the bad and the ugly:

* A training provider who offers training towards any international certification must be authorised by the certifier or owner of the certification. It is important to verify the training provider`s affiliation with the international certifier.

* Verify if the training provider has gone through an approval process with a SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority) accredited ETQA (Education and Training Quality Assurer). In the IT industry it can only be the ETDP or ISETT ETQAs.

* Training is only part of the international certification. In order to obtain the certification, you need to take the official international exams at an authorised Prometric or VUE Testing Centre.

* Shop around for the lowest price on international examinations offered at an authorised Prometric and VUE Testing Centre. If you are attending the training course at a centre that offers exams as well, negotiate a better rate before enrolling for the course.

* Contact the international certifier or visit its Web site in order to confirm that the training material being used is approved and mapped to the international certification examinations.

* Certificates that bear an international certification name and are issued by a training provider are merely training attendance certificates. They are often issued without the consent of the international certifier. A certificate issued by the international certifier is official proof that you have obtained that certification.

* The trainer must be officially certified in the international certification he/she presents. Confirm that the trainer is certified in the most recent updated version of such international certification.

* Before enrolling for an international certification, contact the international certifier or visit its Web site to find out as much as possible about the certification requirements. Most international certifications have prerequisites such as prior related practical experience in the industry.

* Pricing of IT training is very competitive today. Just remember that cheapest is not necessarily the best option. If a few centres satisfy all the above requirements, pricing will be the deciding factor on your shortlist.

Authentication around training provision is just one of several issues that the Association addresses. Through a number of public awareness campaigns, CompTIA is actively driving home the need for standards, ethics and professionalism within the information and communication technology sector.

Adrian Schofield, International Sales and Marketing Director at CompTIA Africa, believes the current focus on training provision and related issues is ample proof that the sector is troubled, and is in need of some form of action.

"We want people to understand the significance behind obtaining genuine certification and what it means to gain this through authentic, recognised training institutions. Special Assignment`s expos'e of the problems and unfortunate experiences people have had serves as proof of the need for a unified front against exploitation. CompTIA lies at the forefront of growing awareness amid the sector that something has to be done about fly-by-night trainers and those who continuously erode the value of true experience and certification."

CompTIA Africa advises people to be scrupulous when checking the credibility of both the centres and the training providers themselves. Credibility is largely based on recognition by the industry.

For more information, click through to www.comptia.org