CompTIA Strata certification helps bridge the skills gap IT employers are needing.

The paradox appears on a regular basis in the business news headlines.




Unemployment in the United States jumped to double digits in October for the first time in more than a quarter century, reaching 10.2 percent.



Yet hiring managers continue to find it difficult to fill positions requiring certain high-tech skills.

According to the latest Yoh Index of Technology Wages, a poll of more than 9,000 hiring managers in more than 15 metropolitan areas across the U.S., companies continue to struggle to find workers with Java and .Net/C+ development skills, as well as IT security engineers, network engineers, software engineers, quality assurance professionals and project managers.



And the gap between tech job openings and qualified people to fill them appears to be growing, not shrinking.



Global IT research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) and Microsoft Corp. released a study in early October 2009 that suggests the IT industry will create 5.8 million new jobs over the next four years. That projected growth rate of 3 percent a year is more than three times as fast as the growth of total employment.



Now for paradox two.



Young people today are the most tech-savvy generation ever. Yet many continue to shun careers in high tech, even at a time when 21st-century employers desperately need new workers with technology skills.



Connecting these two groups is the challenge that will define the future. It’s a challenge that must be addressed with new solutions.



Strata Rolls Out

Last year, the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a trade association for the global IT industry, took a major step to address this challenge with the introduction of its CompTIA Strata certificate program.



Rather than focusing narrowly on specific computer applications, CompTIA Strata is designed to offer a broad introduction to technology — the core terminology, uses and types of technology deployed today. The exams do not certify technical skills, but demonstrate that an individual has knowledge of IT terms, equipment and functions.



Why the emphasis on broad, fundamental technology skills? There are two reasons.



First, the service technician, help desk, support role, which requires a broad set of basic skills, remains the best avenue to begin an IT career.



Second, employers of all sizes and across many industries have identified this job as one they are looking to fill immediately.



According to the latest Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report, a survey of more than 1,400 CIOs from companies across the U.S., when asked which technical skill sets are most in demand in their IT departments, 64 percent of respondents cited desktop support. Help desk and technical support and networking are the two job areas experiencing the most growth, with 18 percent of the response each.



Get on the Information Superhighway

CompTIA Strata is designed to be an on ramp to a career in technology, something students or adult career changers can use to gauge their aptitude and interest for IT. With a basic understanding of PC and networking fundamentals, these individuals will have the confidence to pursue more advanced skills certifications and will have a credential to prove to prospective employers that they’re ready to enter the IT workforce.



“We’ve been looking for a level one technical course for a while, and this suits our needs as it’s vendor-neutral,” said Stuart Philip, IT curriculum leader at Highlands College, Jersey, U.K. “It provides a good all-round platform to more technical qualifications.”



The CompTIA Strata Fundamentals of IT Technology exam is designed to show that the successful candidate has the knowledge to identify and explain technology basics, including the characteristics and functions of laptops, desktops and smart phones. Individuals must be able to understand the functions of internal and external storage devices, such as CDs, DVDs, USBs and hard drives. The exam also covers green IT: Individuals will have to know how to use and dispose of equipment in an environmentally friendly way.



Topical Discussion

Topics covered in the exam include:

• Technology and computer hardware basics (40 percent of exam content).

• Compatibility issues and common errors (13 percent).

• Software installation and functions (11 percent).

• Security risks and prevention (16 percent).

• Green IT and preventative maintenance (20 percent).



The CompTIA Strata IT Technology exam (FC0-U41) is a 60-minute test that includes 70 questions. A passing score of 70 percent or higher is required. Individuals who pass the exam will receive the CompTIA Strata certificate of completion.



The recommended number of hours needed to prepare for the exam varies based on each candidate’s existing level of knowledge and the type of exam prep they’re engaged in. For example, commercial training could be completed in four days. At the college level, about 48 hours of classroom or lab experience is the norm. For high school students, one semester of instruction (five hours per week for 18 to 19 weeks) is the recommended preparation time before sitting for the exam.



A second exam, CompTIA Strata IT Technology for Sales (FC0-TS1), is designed to show that successful candidates have the knowledge to engage a customer on a professional basis using proper communication skills, qualify the type of technology user, provide appropriate solutions based on a customer’s needs and coordinate with technical staff throughout the sales process.



This test assesses a candidate’s knowledge in areas related to ongoing customer care and engagement and ensuring proper customer satisfaction. This test is intended for candidates considering or currently in a technical sales role with the potential for future sales, project management or technical training.



Domains in the CompTIA Strata IT Technology for Sales exam include:

• Technology and computer hardware basics (48 percent).

• Compatibility issues and software compliance (16 percent).

• Preventative maintenance and green IT (18 percent).

• Sales and communication skills (18 percent).



The exam is a 60-minute test that includes 70 questions. A passing score of 70 percent or higher is required.



CompTIA Strata exams are delivered at Pearson VUE and Prometric testing centers around the world. Courseware is available from Axzo Press and Element K.



Employment Takeaway

For individuals, CompTIA Strata is a way to prove to employers or potential employers that they can handle an IT-related job. It’s also good preparation for CompTIA A+ or other advanced IT certifications.



For employers, CompTIA Strata can ensure that employees have baseline knowledge of computers and how to use them. This can help reduce unnecessary troubleshooting requests and increase the bandwidth of IT staff.



Now more than ever, companies value employees who can think strategically and communicate effectively, as well as those who possess strong business fundamentals. IT workers who understand how to use technology to meet business goals, and who can articulate this understanding, are golden in the eyes of employers.



A certificate such as CompTIA Strata makes an individual more marketable. Unless the employer is familiar with the school the job candidate attended or the organizations the candidate worked for, the hiring manager has no independent means of knowing how rigorous the program or experience is. When a job candidate comes to an employer with a recognized and accepted professional credential, it gives the employer more to go on.

For workers new to the employment market without a great deal of past experience, an industry-recognized credential puts the worker in a stronger position when looking for a job.




Individuals who are securing jobs in today’s tech workplace are equipped with greater versatility and a broader skill set than was required in the past. People who want to be in IT need an edge, a means of proving they can do the tasks assigned. CompTIA Strata is a step toward that proof.

Where are all the tech jobs

An Article from Fortune Magazine...By Anne Fisher, contributor

Where the tech jobs are now
At least 400,000 tech jobs are going begging, even in this economy. Here are the skills employers are looking for most.

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Dear Annie: My son is going to graduate from college in December with a B.S. in computer science, and I am just wondering about the IT job market. On the one hand, we keep hearing about layoffs and outsourcing, but on the other hand, everything runs on computers now, so surely there must be some good tech jobs in this country, especially at the (relatively cheap) entry level. Is there anything he can do to increase his chances of getting hired six months from now? -Pasadena Papa

Dear Pasadena: Funny you should ask. CompTIA, the biggest trade association for IT folks and their employers, recently launched a new recruiting campaign aimed at filling an estimated 400,000 tech job openings.

Still, "before the recession, it was 700,000," says Todd Thibodeaux, CompTIA's CEO.
With so many people looking for work, why are so many jobs going begging? The short answer: A scarcity of candidates with the skills, or combinations of skills and credentials, that employers want. Even people with years of tech experience may find they need to upgrade their certifications and venture into new territory in order to retool their careers in today's job market.

"I've had jobs go unfilled for weeks or months because people with the right combinations of skills just aren't available," says Scott Dunlop, managing partner of Boston-area tech recruiters Bivium Group.

Candidates don't necessarily need to be programmers or systems analysts, or have worked for a tech company to get hired, says Todd Thibodeaux, CompTIA's CEO. "Most IT jobs are in tech support in a wide range of businesses like hotels, hospitals, and factories," he says.

"These days, employers are looking for people who can do hardware-and-software integration and data security," Thibodeaux adds. "One category in big demand now is basic computer skills, which will get you hired at the entry level. Then you can add certifications from specific vendors like Cisco (CSCO, Fortune 500) and HP (HPQ, Fortune 500), and other more advanced certifications as you move up in the organization."

You don't even have to live in Silicon Valley. "We're seeing tech openings in Des Moines, Boise, Louisville, all over the map," says Gretchen Koch, a director of skills development at CompTIA.
"There are tech jobs available even here in Detroit, many of them in hospitals," says Mark McManus, CEO of New Horizons Computer Learning Centers of Michigan, Chicago & Cleveland. In general, "tech jobs that require continual collaboration with other departments don't get outsourced," he adds.

And even with outsourcing, "the fastest-growing demand here in the U.S. is still for help desk and desktop support people," notes Koch. A recent survey by staffing company Robert Half International shows that 51% of employers plan to add IT staff over the coming year, many of which will be help-desk jobs. These can be a good way to get a foot in the door.

"Usually entry-level people do that for six months or a year before getting additional training and certifications and moving on to network administration, security, database management, or some other specialty," she says.

Another area to consider: As the health-care industry continues to grow, your son might be smart to focus his job search on medical providers and work on acquiring the skills specific to them.

Unemployment among tech workers stands at about 4.9%, far lower than the 9.6% overall U.S. jobless rate, "so IT is still faring better than most fields," says Tom Silver, CEO of tech job board Dice.com. Yet, he says, "there is a lot of frustration among job seekers now, however, because employers are hiring very slowly and looking for the exact right fit."

Dice.com recently compiled a list of the skill sets most in demand among employers.The top 5:

Security. Employers often want to hire people who have earned the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) designation (see http://www.isc2.org/). Candidates need 5 years of hands-on experience before taking the exam.

Virtualization. The term refers to the practice of running multiple servers on a single piece of hardware, increasing efficiency and conserving energy.

Java EE. Sun Microsystems' (JAVA, Fortune 500) Java and its enterprise edition, until recently called J2EE, are the industry standards for developing online applications, so the Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP) designation is in widespread demand.

SAP. Most employers prefer candidates who have direct on-the-job experience with SAP (SAP), but "having the right credentials can make even experienced candidates stand out," the Dice.com report says.

.NET. Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) has a variety of certifications, Dice.com notes, but "the most bang for the buck comes from the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD)" designation, which covers Microsoft Visual Studio and the Microsoft .NET framework.

With a spanking-new degree in computer science, your son will already have an edge, but he'd do well to earn a certification or two. People who want to upgrade their skills or switch into IT from other fields who want to switch to IT can get training at local community colleges, computer-training centers and other specialty schools.

Many schools offer some form of financial aid. What's more, for unemployed adults looking to change fields, state and federal funding may be available to cover tuition costs. (New college grads are not usually eligible for these programs.)

ITIL certification builds IT workers' skills in economic downturn

George Spafford, Contributor02.12.2009

The news is full of failing companies and lost jobs, and the IT job market has not been spared the current economic recession. It is a worrisome time for everyone. We can view the recession's effects on the IT economy from two different perspectives: (1) that of employees, who fear losing jobs and worry about having the right skills, and (2) that of employers, which need to improve operating effectiveness and efficiency. While separate, these views are not mutually exclusive. Continuing education and the pursuit of IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) certifications can benefit both groups in terms of building IT skills and improving IT operational efficiency.

Building IT skill sets with ITIL certification
Firms hire workers based on their skill sets. While many organizations understand the value of developing IT workers' skills, others discard employees when skills no longer align with a company's needs. In their responses to employee surveys, it's no wonder that respondents list stagnation as a top fear.

For those interested in developing business-oriented IT skills, ITIL certifications teach new approaches and offer the value of having an IT certification.

In this economy, IT workers must carefully develop and maintain their skills and marketable credentials. If an employer doesn't compensate adequately, employees must take their futures into their own hands. Long gone are the days of the "company person" who spends his career with one firm. Now IT professionals frequently change jobs for myriad reasons.
With companies downsizing every day and millions of jobs lost since the recession began in December 2007, it's important evaluate certifications based on which skills are in demand in the geographical area of interest, what your weaknesses are and which strengths can be augmented, and the overall benefit a certification provides over time.

The ITIL Foundation certification indicates that an IT professional has a basic understanding of IT processes and terminology. The certification is a prerequisite for more advanced classes. For those who want to specialize and develop domain expertise, the advanced Capability, Lifecycle and Service Manager/ITIL Expert certifications should be pursued.

It's important not to fall into the trap of doing nothing if an employer refuses to fund your career development. You should enhance your skills and plan for your future. Don't leave your growth opportunities and career path solely in the hands of others.

ITIL: Bringing security in economic downturn
Without a doubt, we live in troubled times. Without the IT skills needed to compete, workers fear being laid off or that they will struggle to find new jobs. Companies are in desperate need of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of their IT groups to reduce costs while also pursuing their mission of value creation and protection. ITIL certifications present a means to help both groups. With careful planning, the benefits can be maximized for individuals and employers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: George Spafford http://www.spaffordconsulting.com/ is a principal consultant at Pepperweed Consulting and an experienced practitioner in business and IT operations. He is a prolific author and speaker and has consulted and conducted training on regulatory compliance, IT governance and process improvement.

Stay a relevant IT worker in 2009

1. Pay attention to where the hiring is.
We all get caught up in our work. We all bear down for months and even years at a time on one all-encompassing project or another — this is a good thing — but the danger is in looking up and seeing that the field around you has changed. Keeping your eye on the “prize” so to speak — where the hiring is still taking place, even in a downturn — is essential for continued career success.
So where is this mythical hiring surge? It depends on who you ask, of course. Some people, such as Read Write Web’s Jobwire, point to the growing use of community managers and new media specialists and that developers are still being hired at twice the pace of sales and marketing folks. Others put their money on SAP, .Net and help desk support. But all agree that even in a downturn, there will be small pockets of growth.

2. Keep your skills current.
Advising tech pros to keep their skills current may be advice as old as time, but it doesn’t change the fact that if you’re still boasting skills at the top of your IT resume that haven’t been a central focus of enterprise organizations in years, or worse, a decade, you’re going to have a harder time selling yourself for a promotion or to a new company.
It’s not something to put off, either. “Any IT Pro knows that keeping up with the latest technology is a career key. Make it easy on yourself by reading technology news and subscribing to various newsletters and technology magazines. If you keep up consistently, you can’t be overwhelmed by falling behind,” explained Kristin Clifford at CompTIA.

3. Be a documenting fiend.
Most IT departments are a place where the cowboys still roam — the “cowboy” being the guy that everyone in the department depends on because he or she knows how to run things. Productivity can hinge on them, and dangerously so.
But this is now an age of standardized processes — things like CMMI and ITIL are more popular than ever — and documentation is at the core of this. Being someone who is organized and keeps track of what they’ve done, even if your boss doesn’t require it, will mean that you can always reference your work so that your successes can be repeatable. If this is where IT is going, you want to be there first. Heck, you might even like it.

4. Stay curious.
If the thought of devoting any time or energy to expanding your creative horizons or embracing something new or different sounds ridiculous to you, you may very well be spending too much time at the office. Which is exactly the kind of place — with its repeated tasks, beige color scheme and endless rows of cubicle walls — that can drain the curiosity that drew you to technology in the first place.
But this doesn’t mean that the workplace cannot be a place where you try new things in 2009. Whether it’s new technologies or simply something you wanted to learn more about, but never thought you could, showing the initiative and asking — taking advantage of any and all opportunities to learn — could make a daunting year and a sober economic environment a little more fun.

5. Step away from the technology once in a while
Every so often, a poll — polls that are no doubt unscientific bordering on superfluous — comes out that shows just how frightening some of our technology addictions have become. A recent one sponsored by Intel found that nearly half of women would rather go without sex for two weeks than give up the Internet for that long, a sentiment shared by 30 percent of men. Have our technology addictions gone too far?
I’ll save that question for others to philosophize over, but in the meanwhile, it’s hard to argue that shutting down the laptop once in a while to go experience the world outside of it can do wonders for your frame of mind — not to mention your creative energy when you return.
Deb Perelman is a journalist in New York City with a focus on tech and the daily grind. See her full profile and disclosure of her industry affiliations

Why Certifications are important in 2009!

Many technology professionals believe IT certifications reached their peak during the height of the dot-com boom. But such a mindset may well prove shortsighted. The subsequent dot-com bomb led to an exodus of certified technicians from the industry. Then, as the dust settled, IT certifications were reworked. Accreditations were better mapped to real-world needs and expertise. Program flaws were eliminated. Training programs improved.

Now, in turbulent economic times, IT certifications will provide more relevance than ever before. With unprecedented bailouts, widespread cost and workforce reductions, and a slew of new platforms being released, IT accreditations will assume renewed importance in 2009. Here are 10 reasons why IT certifications will prove important in 2009.

Note: This information is also available as a PDF download.

#1: Job retention
Organizations are laying off employees at alarming levels. When wildly successful franchises such as the National Football League downsize 10 percent, you know the economy’s in trouble.
When faced with difficult personnel decisions, organizations generally try to retain the most skillful and knowledgeable employees. Certified IT pros have a credible advantage over their colleagues. While holding a current IT accreditation is no guarantee against being laid off, the more education, expertise, and skills you can demonstrate, the better.

#2: Salary maintenance
Many organizations — and city and state governments in particular — are asking employees to accept salary reductions. Whereas staff may have grumbled over a scant four or five percent salary increase a few years ago, today many are being asked to cut their compensation by those amounts.
Holding current IT certification does not guarantee you won’t face salary reductions. But possessing specific certifications — including A+, Security+, Microsoft credentials, and other accreditations –often qualifies employees for higher pay grades. Thus, when forced to accept a salary reduction, you’re more likely to be earning more than your non-certified colleagues.

#3: Hiring and promotion eligibility
Despite the economic downturn, some companies are still hiring. Others are actively promoting from within. Recent headlines prove medical facilities, health insurance companies, and manufacturers, among others, continue expansion efforts.
Significant competition exists for these open positions. With unemployment exceeding six percent, a number expected to grow in 2009, jockeying for good jobs will only increase. If your resume is bolstered by new and timely certifications, you’ll gain an advantage over others applying for the same role. For better or worse, in cases where two otherwise equal candidates are competing for the same lucrative job offer, one applicant’s certifications could prove the deciding factor. Certification may even be required to apply for the position.

#4: Career improvement
Many technology professionals feel they’ve done all they can do as a support technician or network administrator. They may be working in positions where they’ll receive no additional responsibilities, pay, or challenges unless they move up the corporate ladder.
IT certifications can certainly open the door to such promotions. By completing project management training and proving command of the fundamentals by earning a Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Professional or CompTIA Project+ certification, an administrator can demonstrate initiative and expertise in an effort to win a project management promotion. Likewise, a support tech might leverage a Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) accreditation to gain a new position as a server administrator.

#5: New-generation certs increase relevance
Certifications are receiving a boost from considerable reworking. Many organizations, including CompTIA and Cisco, are revamping and redesigning exams and instructional initiatives. And Microsoft really stands out due to the variety and impact of changes made to its training and certification program.
Microsoft’s new generation of certifications — including the new MCITP, Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS), and Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) accreditations — map directly to real-world needs. The MCTS, for example, measures a candidate’s skill, knowledge, and expertise deploying, maintaining, and administering specific Microsoft platforms.
Microsoft’s new MCITP credential, meanwhile, is aimed at helping organizations meet specific staffing needs. The certification is designed to demonstrate expertise within job roles, such as server administrator or desktop support technician, thereby better enabling hiring managers to spot qualified, well-targeted candidates.
To keep these new-generation certifications relevant, Microsoft is expiring new credentials when mainstream support for the corresponding technology platforms is retired. Those changes, combined with the introduction of classroom and lab training requirements for new higher-level certifications, are helping put the shine back on IT certifications in 2009.

#6: Organizations will become more discriminating
Consultants can benefit from IT certifications in 2009, too. As clients more closely guard expenses and become more discerning, organizations needing to outsource computer services and support will want to ensure the firms and technicians they hire are competent. IT certifications are a great method for consultants to demonstrate their skill, knowledge, and expertise to potential clients.

#7: New products will gain momentum
A slew of new products is sure to gain momentum in 2009. Microsoft’s 2008-branded server products lead the charge of new technologies that will gain market share throughout the year.
As organizations begin replacing older or failed equipment with these new products, and as myriad other factors require that the new platforms be deployed, these organization will seek qualified IT technicians, managers, and consultants to plan, deploy, and administer the upgrades. If you can demonstrate your skills and expertise with these platforms, you’ll be better positioned to provide those services. By becoming certified on new technologies that gain traction in 2009, you’ll not only strengthen your resume, but you’ll also position yourself well by aligning your expertise with these new products.

#8: Organizations must minimize downtime
Server, desktop, and network downtime, as well as mean times to repair, must improve. This is true for most every organization, but especially for those that have reduced staff, as fewer employees are available to pick up the slack when errors or failures occur.
When running lean, as many companies have been forced to do, remaining employees’ workloads are often increased. Thus, it’s imperative that organizations fully utilize remaining staff.
IT certification programs are one method of ensuring that staff members have the training and instruction required to fulfill specific responsibilities. Employees who are better trained and educated as the result of certification efforts will be less likely to commit errors that lead to failure. And when outages do occur, the corresponding education and training will prove helpful in speeding recovery.

#9: Organizations need to reduce costs
When sales or funding levels dive, reducing operating costs becomes critical. During periods of recession, organizations are obligated to maximize efficiency. As a result, productivity requirements become greater for each worker.
From a cold and calculating perspective, IT certification is one proven method for leveraging an organization’s salary expenses. By ensuring that technicians have specific skills via training and certification programs, whether those skills target desktop support or network design and optimization, organizations know that IT certification efforts help maximize ROI.
A Kotler Marketing Group study published by CompTIA revealed certifications enabled organizations to reduce expenses, identify knowledge gaps, and improve productivity. In addition, certifications proved helpful in improving uptime and reducing turnover.

#10: Confidence proves handy during turbulent times
If nothing else, during periods of stress and upheaval, it helps to have confidence. While you can’t insulate yourself from major economic trends, you can leverage certifications to know you’ve taken prudent steps to keep skills current and make yourself an attractive employee, both to your current employer and to prospective hiring managers, should a pink slip arrive.
Some 75 percent of IT professionals responding to the Kotler study said their CompTIA certifications make them more attractive to employers, while 84 percent believe they now have the skills necessary to fulfill a job’s requirements. Further, some 93% agreed or strongly agreed that customers felt they are in good hands when working with them, due in part to their certifications.

With numerous other factors seemingly out of your control, IT certifications present at least one element you can command. In an age of unprecedented business and economic turmoil, the resulting confidence boost can only help.

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
Email Larry Dignan