Are Certifications Worth It? Yes — But There’s a Problem

Employees who have earned certifications help their employers outcompete others in the market. 

These professionals help alleviate the anxieties that clients may feel as they hire a new vendor, thanks to their proven expertise and professionalism. 

For some, working with such professionals is a baseline requirement. In fact, some clients may only do business with those organizations that employ certified staff. 

One-third of IT leaders say this is a leading benefit of having certified professionals on payroll, according to Skillsoft’s IT Skills and Salary Report. 

Unfortunately, many organizations don’t have a clear picture of who holds certifications, making it harder to win business when credentials count.

Client requirements notwithstanding, there are many other benefits of employing certified professionals. 

Think about it. 

A professional who devotes the time and energy (and the money!) to certify demonstrates their drive to learn and grow. Often, it directly reflects their work ethic and performance on the job. 

The main benefits of employing certified staff: 

1. They often work faster.
2. They often work smarter. 
3. They’re more engaged. 
4. They’re more confident. 
5. The quality of their work is higher.

No doubt, having these professionals on the payroll yields many benefits. So, why aren’t more employers encouraging their workforce to certify and keeping track of those who do?

Turns out, it’s not that simple. 

Read further to learn why professionals often struggle to obtain certifications — and, more importantly, what to do about it.

For individuals, certifications bring about many perks. Often, they earn professionals a higher salary and better job prospects. Many have reported receiving a bonus at work as a result — even promotions. 

For employers, having certified staff helps establish leadership in the market and win business. Internally, these employees exemplify professionalism and bring their expertise to deployments, launches, and troubleshooting. 

To put a dollar figure on it, nearly half (45%) of IT leaders say certified staff add $20,000 in value or more to the business over their non-certified counterparts. That could manifest in faster, higher-quality work performance, a closure in skill gaps, or improvements to staff turnover and morale.

Investing in certifications pays back in more ways than one. For employees and their employers, the work put in to earn these credentials is a win-win. 

But today, the road to certification looks different virtually everywhere. 

The problem with this is that employees often bear all or most of the responsibility of training. And even if their employer is willing to help or cover the cost, the curriculum is convoluted and fragmented. 

Anyone who’s earned a noteworthy certification can attest to the challenge of simply getting to exam day. 

Thankfully, that’s changing.

This New Feature in Skillsoft’s AI-Driven, Online Learning Platform Will Help

Skillsoft is rolling out a new feature to address these challenges head-on. Skillsoft’s Certification Paths formulate a coherent, easy-to-follow process to help employees unlock these credentials in less time.

In essence, it’ll help administrators more easily track which credentials their workforce has and create intuitive, automated paths to certification for learners.

In the backend, administrators can create paths using a new “concise” theme and set the program's parameters. Within this path, administrators can enter exam information, allow proof of certification uploads, and see which skills employees are building. 

Administrators will also see which certifications are up for renewal or set to expire. This can help inform plans to prevent lapses. 

What learners see is a clearer view of their progress, the skills they’ll build, and the requirements to become certified. As they complete assessments, courses, books, and more, a progress indicator will continually reflect their work. A set of actions within each path will guide learners to the next step, whether obtaining a voucher or scheduling their exam.

What’s new? 

• The Certification Center — A central location for certification training that improves organization and access. 
• Practice Tests — Ahead of exam day, learners will have access to practice exams to boost their confidence. 
• Bonus Material — Added resources will help learners understand the requirements of certification. 
• Proof of CertificationTracking — When building the path, administrators can allow learners to upload their new certified status.

What’s coming soon? 

• Ongoing updates to the Certification Center 
• Learning notifications to engage learners
• Voucher management for administrators

Certifications from Microsoft, Google, AWS, CompTIA, and many others are highly sought after by individuals — and their employers.

Having certified staff can fulfill requirements, like the DoD’s 8140, and satisfy clients’ demands for secure, high-quality solutions built, delivered, and maintained by experts. 

Only, the process isn’t easy today. 

Most organizations have an opaque view of their workforce’s credentials and skills, making it nearly impossible to know which employees can lend their expertise to new strategic projects and initiatives as they emerge. 

Skillsoft’s Certification Paths will help organizations improve the management of this process, giving administrators more ways to track and validate their workforce's capabilities.

“In today’s rapidly evolving enterprise landscape, technical certifications are key. But they can be difficult for administrators and learners to track and share,” says Gina Smith, PhD, Research Director for IDC’s IT Skills for Digital Business practice. “Skillsoft Certification Paths aims to tackle such issues by providing comprehensive certification management for administrators and a centralized hub for learners to access all their certification needs.” 

Get more information about this new feature by reaching out.