Skills and certification
Certification programs, skills, and digital credentials
A certification program confirms that someone can do a job to a standard, through assessments, proctored exams, or observed tasks, and records it in a credential they can share. Skills work starts earlier: a competency model and skills matrix define what good looks like for each role.
Four steps to a certification program people trust
How teams certify customers, partners, and employees in a way the market recognizes.
Define the standard first
When certification means watching the course
Write down what a certified person can do, at what level, and how you’ll check it. A competency model gives you the list, and the exam tests against it.
- Building Certifications That Actually Matter: A Practical Guide for Education Leaders
- How to Conduct a Skills Gap Analysis
Assess the work, then proctor the exam
When anyone can pass by guessing
Use scenario questions and practical tasks that mirror the job. Proctoring protects the value of the credential once people start listing it on their profiles.
- Certifications: Moving Towards Mastery Using Assessments
- 9 Benefits Of Proctoring Online Certification Exams
Issue credentials people can carry
When certified partners change jobs
Digital badges and certificates people can share on LinkedIn travel with them. Track each partner’s certified headcount separately from individual credentials.
Set expiry and renewal
When certifications go stale
Expire credentials when the product or standard changes, and give people who stay current a shorter path to renew.
Questions teams ask about skills and certification
Short answers, each with the resource that covers it in full.
Talk to usWhat’s the difference between a skills matrix and a competency model?
A competency model describes the skills and behaviors a role needs. A skills matrix maps each person against those skills, so you can see gaps across a team.
How to Conduct a Skills Gap Analysis
How does a partner certification follow someone who changes jobs?
Issue the credential to the person and record the partner company separately. The credential stays with the individual, and the partner’s certified headcount updates when they leave.
Building Certifications That Actually Matter: A Practical Guide for Education Leaders
Should you charge for certification?
Charging works when the credential carries weight in the market. Free certification grows reach faster for partner and customer programs.
Certifications: Why You Should (or Should Not) Offer Them
How often should certifications expire?
Tie expiry to how fast the product or standard changes, and make renewal test what changed since the last exam.
How customers run certification
Teams running education on Intellum.
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