Value of Vskills Certification

A certification is a third-party attestation of an individual's level of knowledge or proficiency in a certain industry or profession. There is less clarity about the value and significance of the certification in the market place.

Certification for professionals also referred as trade certification, is a label earned by an individual to ascertain the desired qualification to perform a job or task. In other words we can say that, Certification is primarily an acknowledgement of educational and training achievements. Some of the key characteristics that a certification program focuses on are - Learning,  Validation and Recognition

Certification helps in distinguishing individuals to demonstrate their domain knowledge or skills needed for a specific profile. So a professional certification offers tangible benefits to both the individual and the employer.

Origin of Certification Programs

Certification as a concept traces its origins back in 2200 B.C., where the Chinese emperor inspected the performance of his officials after every third year so as to determine their fitness and potential for the job.

The individuals even in that time had to take certifications to validate competency. The task of assessing the competency of an individual assessment continued through medieval Europe where, through unions, skilled craftsmen passed their knowledge to apprentices.

Certification in the 21st Century

The present scenario of certification programs resembles very much like the associations in the past, but now they extend their benefits to groups beyond professionals and non-professionals. The certification offered for professionals today are one of the most efficient mechanisms to assess the candidates knowledge, skills and experience needed to perform a specific role. Certifications aids not only the professionals taking them but also have a direct impact on the hiring decisions, organizational goals and practices, incentives, and organization functionalities.

There is a multitude of professional certifications being offered across varied disciplines under many business verticals. There are professional certifications and training from the most niche trade such as health care, to Finance, IT , Big Data, Testing, Quality Management, Foreign Exchange, Foreign Trade,  Logistics and Supply Chain Management and many more which requires rigorous learning mechanism and has market acceptance.

There are certification bodies in information technology (IT) or high-tech product manufacturing, who maintain and promote their own certifications to demonstrate expertise in both hardware and software applications.

The sole purpose of any certification as one can understand is to assure and ascertain that the person holding the certification is competent and proficient. There is a surge in certifications offerings and are being adopted by employers and professionals across a broad mix of industries.

Value Addition

All Professional qualification vary in terms of - 

                    1. Purpose

                    2. Requirements

                    3. Thoroughness

                    4. Industry

So those who intend to take a professional certification are required to meet all these features thereby reaping multiple benefits. There can be n-number of reasons that can be viewed as the objective of certification but first and foremost it is all about market relevance and staying current, then we can take into account personal accomplishment, career advancement and marketability, and henceforth improved salary.

According to statistics it has been deduced that people don't take certification only for promotion or rise in salary or alternative employment but also to improve their reputation among peers, increase competence and confidence so as to be able work on more complex projects.

Relevance and Applicability

Professionals take up Vskills certification to remain updated and make their knowledge more relevant and applicable. It is crucial to stay current nearly in every profession or industry that certifies competency. Certification is a step towards skills updation and training, to promote continuous learning so as to accredit the progress of the professionals and help the recruiters and market in general to filter out the best.

Build Confidence and self-accomplishment

We cannot establish any direct relationship between certification and on-the-job performance as it is hard to measure them together. According to a study obtaining a certification not only increases the person's confidence but also appears as self-accomplishment.

An in-house survey conducted by Vskills found a high level of agreement on how certification impacts the perceptions of the candidate about themselves.

The employees do view certification as a worthwhile career investment. According to reports two-thirds of respondents who certified within the previous five years reported the efforts to obtain a certification were worth the additional commitment.

More than half of the respondents said employers support and recognize the value certifications provided.

Marketability

According to a study conducted by Vskills, approximately 92 percent of recruiters believe that a certified selenium professional applying for a profile would have an added-advantage over a candidate who is not qualified in software testing.

With such an increasing competitive global employment landscape, certification surely allows individuals to distinguish themselves from others. For any recruiter be it in any field, certification assures that the applicant is determined to achieve, committed to their profession and, definitely, possesses validated knowledge and skills. So a resume that indicates professional certification is more likely to be placed in the "interview stack."

Certifications are primarily helpful in industries where there is rapid advancement, so this certification process helps managers to identify the workforce that has the latest skills and knowledge so that they can move up the cadre toward leadership. And also analyse the professionals that need further training to build up to that level.

Salary

There is no denying of the fact that certification improves an individual's marketability, as well as the earning potential. Many studies reveal that individuals who hold a vskills certification tend to be in a higher salary slab than those who do not.

Academic Recognition

Certifications are another way to recognize the academic and inferential ability of the candidate. Organisations place a high value on professional credentials and work-ex. Now days, certifications are also sponsored by corporations, professional and volunteer associations, training suppliers, and government agencies to assess and recognize the academic potential of the candidate for evaluating and identifying the potential performance of the candidate.

Value to Employers

"What value does the Vskills certification add to the employers functioning and work-flow?"

As per the survey, nearly 87 percent employers would prefer to hire a certified candidate over those who are not certified. Also certification has a crucial impact on the hiring process and hold medium to high priority during the course of evaluation process.

Credentials, such as domain specific certifications, are considered as key factors in the decision-making process.

According to an employer's perception, the primary benefits of Vskills certification are -  

                    1. Initiative, as displayed by self motivation to take a professional certification

                    2. Validation of an individual's ability to understand new or complex technologies

                    3. Higher productivity

                    4. Insightful problem solving

Note that, certifications are equally valuable for a company's reputation. So employees who have earned certification, as a part of specialised training or for work experience, demonstrate a level of competency which impacts the view point of the recruiter as well.

Certifications are not only an added qualification but a great asset in the portfolio and demonstrate competence for higher learning and progress.

 Many businesses have hard data that shows that certification impacts the bottom line. The costs of certification were repaid in fewer than nine months by the savings from increased effectiveness in the majority of companies , says the finding of an international survey.

Yet some employers are yet to fully appreciate the value of certification.

Value of Certification Programs

Certifications are developed by both profit and non-profit organisations to assist in achieving multiple goals. Certifications not only aims at advancing an organisation's reputation as an industry leader, but also aim at establishing themselves as the industry's preferred and trusted authority for the, employers and public in general.

 A successful certification program forms the basis of industry standards that reflect the highest quality and utmost excellence. Even though a single entity, like a company or association, are not responsible to develop and document standards, but the ultimate recognition of any credential is for the competencies that are measured.

Benefits to certification body

Although revenue neutral, a program's database can be extremely valuable. Data regarding training and education, work experience and level of expertise can be used by a program owner to set strategic direction, create new offerings and reach out to certificants to market different or more advanced credentials.

One of the most important, but often un-measured, benefits of a certification is the relationship built between certificant and program sponsor. A respected certification draws professionals with whom the credential-owner is proud to be affiliated.

Value to the Public

It is very important to understand the value of the certification for the public as it helps to guide the clients and help them identify the most qualified service providers available. The fact is that, certification translates to confidence and trust, and is valued by consumers worldwide.

Code of conduct

Code of ethics, sometimes referred to as a code of professional conduct, is a critical feature of a certification program both for the safety of the public and the integrity of the certification program's offering. This code of ethics directs how certified professionals shall conduct themselves in exemplifying the highest ethical standards and professionalism.

Characteristics of Vskills Certification

Primarily, the strength of any professional certification depends on the deep trust that a candidate places on the provider and certifies to prove that they possess the required experience, knowledge or skills of a particular domain.

• Vskills has been built on verified market need: The certifications are built in accordance to the verified market needs and upcoming trends. Therefore a professed value is attached in distinguishing those who have proven competency and those who have not.
• Vskills Deliverables: Vskills have qualified and independent subject matter experts for developing content, also they have third-party endorsement in governing the certification program which helps in developing and maintaining a valid eco-system
• Vskills has Rigorous Testing: It is believed that any certification that everyone can earn is typically of lower value as compared to those which demands great effort, experience, knowledge and skill. Vskills has a rigorous schedule followed for assessment for a successful certification program, which is definitely perceived as a competitive advantage.
• Vskills Practice based learning: We strongly believe in the mechanism of "No better way to learn that practice". It is assumed that knowledge gained is knowledge waste till the time it is not applied and tested or questioned. A wide range of questions bank have been built to accelerate the performance of the candidate.
• Vskills emphasizes on ethical conduct: Vskills believes in ethical conduct including protecting the certification exam from fraudulent activities thereby ensuring the ethical professional practice. Therefore, a proctored examination pattern has been followed.
• Vskills aims at developing a trustworthy certification program that is spread across various domains and offers expertise in several areas. An in-depth knowledge of the industry and particular job tasks, training and eligibility requirements, assessments and maintenance are a few aspects included in the certification program.

The Assessment

Proof that an individual possesses the skill or knowledge required to earn a certification is typically determined by a test or examination. Some exams are created to distinguish candidates who demonstrate the required knowledge, skills and abilities from candidates who do not. Others place test-takers along a continuum so that valid comparisons can be made. 

Validity

Vskills standardizes for educational and psychological testing which illustrates that validity is the most fundamental consideration in developing and evaluating tests. The validity concept is concerned with these two questions,

1.      Does the test measure what it is supposed to measure?

2.      Are the interpretations drawn from the test scores appropriate and justifiable?

Any valid test reduces the guesswork or misjudgments about an individual's true competence.

Reliability

Vskills offers utmost reliability that intends to build consistency and develop skills so as to reduce error; and update with correct response. As per our analysis the performance of the candidate can be affected by many factors that could be outside of our control, so as the certification body test have a duty to control, any variance by providing a healthy and effortless testing environment.

Fairness

Together with being valid and reliable, Vskills certification is fair in terms of assessing the candidate and awarding of certification. Here fairness includes conception that the test was fairly generated or no bias of the test-taker was taken into consideration, fair scoring and equal offerings to learn the material being tested.

Format

Vskills offers proctored online, computer-based exam which is highly secure, thereby reducing the chances of proxy testing, with variable online booking format that reduces the chances of cheating or remember answers. Vskills exams are Computer-based testing thereby there is immediate scoring leading to greater convenience and accessibility for both parties.

About Vskills

Vskills is India's Largest Assessment Body developed with the objective to improve the scope for professional certification and academic testing mechanism. Companies' continuously look forward for validating and updating knowledge and skills required of their workforce for implementing advanced technology mechanism, regulate performance of professional and confirm academic learning.

Vskills has provided a platform for both candidate (who can be a student, working professional, some-one handling house hold or a retired professional) and the recruiter to find the most suitable match.

Vskills is an endeavor to provide the candidates seeking value addition to their knowledge and the chance to explore and plan for better opportunities for advanced career opportunities. The companies on the other hand looking for a basket of expert individuals can easily identify the suitable candidates and motivate working professional to upgrade their performance in order to be current and market ready.