Torque-IT, a division of the black-owned Torque Holdings Group, has become SA's first IT training provider to achieve CompTIA Gold Partner status.
Gary Chalmers, Chief Executive Officer of Torque-IT, says the company is one of the only training providers in southern Africa to actively incorporate certification into training on higher-end products.
"Torque-IT has always had a strong focus not just on training, but on attaining the relevant certification as a measure of the success of skills transfer. We recently went so far as to make a decision whereby learners cannot purchase a CompTIA Security+ or Project+ course without an exam voucher," says Chalmers.
Loraine Vorster, Regional Director of CompTIA South Africa, adds that Torque-IT's decision to enforce the exam issue is welcomed by the industry trade association.
"By writing the exams and achieving certification, the learner has verified that they fully understand and can apply the technical knowledge gleaned during training. While certificates of attendance may show that an IT person has attended the course, it cannot verify their grasp of the course material nor that they will apply that knowledge correctly," says Vorster.
CompTIA launched the Gold partner status alongside its Silver partner programme earlier this year as a means to raise the quality bar on IT training and recognise training providers for outstanding performance in delivering qualified, authentic vendor-neutral certifications within the ICT industry.
CompTIA's Gold Partner status is based on criteria such as quality of training and commitment to promote certification, commitment to the eradication of internal attendance certificates, all trainers must be certified in the certifications they present as well as achieve the CompTIA Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+) certification and sales staff need to be MM2 certified.
"This is a CompTIA South Africa localised initiative, implemented to address quality and ethical issues in our region," says Vorster. "We believe this system will impact positively on the quality of training and certifications within the IT industry and go a long way in restoring faith in certifications. We are focused on growing our member base of training providers who adhere to high standards and promote the value of authentic, internationally recognised certification," concludes Vorster.
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