News and Information
This page provides news and information regarding professional certifications.
Rise and Importance of Professional Certifications
Here are a few articles that show the rise and importance of Professional Certifications:
Academic Research on Professional Certification
Below is a small sampling of the available peer reviewed academic research regarding professional certification.
- Professional certification provides credible evidence of an individual's knowledge, skills, and abilities and is a basis of employment qualifications (Cunningham, 2019; Elwell, 2017; Mbise, 2021; Renski, 2018; Tannian & Coston, 2021). In addition, professional certification provides for broader career opportunities resulting in a higher labor participation rate and lower unemployment rate.
- Professional certifications are often used by employers in making hiring decisions (Hunsinger & Smith, 2009; Hunsinger et al., 2011; Mbise, 2021; Renski, 2018; Tannian & Coston, 2021).
- Employers often prefer employment applicants to have more than one certification (Adams et al., 2004). In one study, over 50% of employers preferred job candidates with at least two certifications (Hunsinger & Smith, 2009).
- Several studies have shown that employees with professional certifications receive higher earnings, benefits, and career advancement than those without certification (Adams et al., 2004; Cunningham, 2019; Hunsinger & Smith, 2009; Hunsinger et al., 2011; Martin, 2015; Renski, 2018).
- Some employers consider professional certification as a part of the career path (Hunsinger & Smith, 2009) while some other employers require professional certification (Adams et al., 2004; Cunningham, 2019).
- Organizations have seen several benefits from hiring individuals that have a professional certification (Elwell, 2017; Hunsinger & Smith, 2009; Hunsinger et al., 2011). These benefits include financial gain, time and cost savings, efficient applicant evaluation, functional area productivity benefits, contract terms compliance, higher employee satisfaction, higher retention rates, and reduced outsourcing risk. In the area of education, organizations realize improved teaching quality and student performance (Hunsinger et al., 2011; Mbise, 2021).
References (for Academic Research above)
- Adams, P. S., Brauer, R. L., Karas, B., Bresnahan, T. F., & Murphy, H. (2004). Professional Certification. Professional Safety, 49(12), 26-37. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/professional-certification/docview/200367633/
- Cunningham, E. (2019). Professional certifications and occupational licenses: evidence from the Current Population Survey. Monthly Labor Review, 1-38. https://doi.org/10.21916/mlr.2019.15
- Elwell, S. (2017). Certification Matters. Journal of Trauma Nursing, 24(6), 342-344. https://doi.org/10.1097/JTN.0000000000000323
- Hunsinger, D. S., & Smith, M. A. (2009). IT Certification Use By Hiring Personnel. The Journal of Computer Information Systems, 50(2), 71-82. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/certification-use-hiring-personnel/docview/232573981/
- Hunsinger, D. S., Smith, M. A., & Winter, S. J. (2011). A framework of the use of certifications by hiring personnel in it hiring decisions. ACM SIGMIS Database: the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems, 42(1), 9-28. https://doi.org/10.1145/1952712.1952714
- Martin, D. (2015). Improve earning potential with professional certification. Health Facilities Management, 28(4), 41-
- Mbise, K. (2021). The Role of IT Professional Certifications in IT Instructors' Teaching Quality. International Journal of Education & Development Using Information & Communication Technology, 17(1), 176-187
- Renski, H. (2018). Estimating the Returns to Professional Certifications and Licenses in the U.S. Manufacturing Sector. Economic Development Quarterly, 32(4), 341-356. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891242418792090
- Tannian, M., & Coston, W. (2021). The role of professional certifications in computer occupations. Communications of the ACM, 64(10), 56-63. https://doi.org/10.1145/3474359
