Value of IT Certifications for Your Next Job

The Value of Certification

Copyright (c) 2014 CompTIA Properties, LLC. All Rights Reserved. | CompTIA.org

The Skills Gap Reality

Many businesses are struggling with IT hiring due to large skill gaps in the workforce

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Sources: Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insights, October 2014, CompTIA’s International Technology Adoption & Workforce Issues study

Base: 1,252 business and IT executives from Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Middle East, Thailand and the UK

More than

600,000 IT jobs were open in Q3 2014

58% Of businesses are

concerned about the quality or quantity of IT

labor available


What IT Certifications Offer

A competitive edge in a cut-throat job

market

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Heightened career advancement opportunities

Increased value to employers and their

organizations


The IT Edge

While most career fields see hundreds of applicants per job opening, the IT industry is hiring.

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Source: Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insights, October 2014

As of September 2014, more than

200,000 core IT positions remain unfilled

In Q3 2014, IT positions made up

11% of all job openings.


Thanks to the high demand for technical skill sets, IT professionals experience unemployment at significantly lower rates.

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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 2014 rates

Sought-After Skill Set

General unemployment stands at

5.9%

Unemployment in the IT sector is only

2.8% Hire Me!


High-Growth Opportunities

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This photo is for placement only

More than 700,000 new IT jobs will be

added over the same 10-year

period 2012 to 2022

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates fields in technology

will experience faster than average growth (some over 20%) between 2012

and 2022

IT encompasses a wide range of

fields, from programming to

security and management


Value on Both Sides

An overwhelming majority of IT professionals and their hiring managers agree on the value of certifications

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Sources: CompTIA’s 2nd Annual IT Career Insights study Base: 1,381 U.S. IT professionals and

2nd Employer Perceptions of IT Training & Certification study Base: 400 US HR professionals

70% Of IT professionals believe CompTIA certifications are valuable or very

valuable

93% Of hiring managers

believe certifications are beneficial

Value on both sides


Getting a Foot in the Door

Among those who pursued a CompTIA certification:

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Source: CompTIA’s 2nd Annual IT Career Insights study Base: 1,329 U.S. IT professionals

2/3 cited improving

employment opportunities as a

major reason

45% were preparing for a career change

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Passing the exam made it possible for me to earn 17 college credits. That enabled me to take advanced courses in college much sooner, which reduced the time it took to graduate by one and a half semesters. I saved over $3,000 in tuition and books.

-Christian Johnson, Hill International


A large number of businesses across countries expect the value of IT certifications to increase over the next two years including

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61% of Canadian businesses

59% of German businesses

87% of Brazilian businesses

Pro-Certification Employers Worldwide

Source: CompTIA’s International Technology Adoption & Workforce Issues study Base: 1,240 business and IT executives from Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India,

Japan, Mexico, Middle East, Thailand and the UK


Up the Ladder

IT certifications offer verification of an employee’s skills, paving the way for career advancement

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of those earning CompTIA certifications were preparing for career advancement

44%

Source: CompTIA’s 2nd Annual IT Career Insights study Base: 1,329 U.S. IT professionals

Copyright (c) 2014 CompTIA Properties, LLC. All Rights Reserved. | CompTIA.org 12

Source: Global Knowledge, 2014 IT Skills & Salary Report (median averages)

Salary Stack Up

CompTIA

A+: $73,000

CCNA Security:

$80,000

CompTIA Network+:

$74,000

These are the average salaries for certified employees:


Certified = Satisfied

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Source: CompTIA’s 2nd Annual IT Career Insights study Base: 1,271 U.S. employed IT professionals

A strong majority of IT professionals find satisfaction in their work

76% are satisfied

16% receive a

raise

32% are rewarded


Organizations believe employees with IT certifications add value to their work

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believe staff holding IT certifications are more valuable

58%

53% believe certified staff perform better than non-certified employees

Value Added Hiring

Source: CompTIA’s International Technology Adoption & Workforce Issues study Base: 1,246 business and IT executives from Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India,

Japan, Mexico, Middle East, Thailand and the UK


Value-Added Hiring Continued

A strong majority of hiring managers around the world place a high value on IT certifications

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Source: CompTIA Employer Perceptions of IT Training and Certification Base: 800 US hiring managers, 350 UK, 230 South Africa

Overall, 61% of hiring mangers

place a high value on IT certifications

64% of US hiring managers highly value IT certifications

46% of UK hiring managers highly value IT certifications


Certifications address the skills gap by confirming skills and reducing turnover

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Sources: CompTIA’s 2nd Annual IT Career Insights study Base: 1,061 U.S. employed IT professionals and

International Technology Adoption & Workforce Issues study Base: 1,246 business and IT executives from Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Middle

East, Thailand and the UK

Building a More Loyal Workforce

73% of businesses

believe it’s important to test knowledge gains

after training

84% Of certified

workers remain with their

current employer

"CompTIA certification exams serve as a third-party validation that a person has the

skills employers look to hire for a job.“

- Tony Chen, Professor, College of DuPage

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Improving Productivity

Certified employees bring measurable expertise to business operations

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Source: CompTIA’s IT Training and Certification: Insights and Opportunities study Base: 1,155 IT certification holders

Nearly half agree they are better at

insightful problem solving

Over a third agree they are better able to

understand new or complex

technologies

3 in 10 believe they

are more productive


Aside from technical competency,

businesses believe that employees with IT

certifications possess:

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Source: CompTIA’s Employer Perceptions of IT Training and Certification study Base: 804 US IT hiring managers

Training Leaders

Better communication

skills

Better project

management skills


Bolstering the Ranks

Hiring managers see a variety of benefits in hiring employees with IT certifications

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Over half said

certified employees save their business

time and money on the hiring process

Nearly half said

certified employees learn

faster on the job

Source: CompTIA’s Employer Perceptions of IT Training and Certification study Base: 800 US IT hiring managers

"At the end of the day, it all boils down to certification being an internationally recognized credential. If you can put that on your resume, you'll have a competitive advantage over another individual who doesn't have it.”

- Mark Milton, Director of People Services/Career Academy, Goodwill Industries

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For more information about the value of IT skills certifications and how to earn them, visit certification.comptia.org

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Source: CompTIA’s International Technology Adoption & Workforce Issues study Base: 1,256 business and IT executives from Brazil, Canada, France, Germany,

India, Japan, Mexico, Middle East, Thailand and the UK

Ready to Get Certified?

certification.comptia.org

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Value of IT Certifications for Your Next Job