Hong Kong to launch new IT certification
The Hong Kong Computer Society and the Hong Kong Institute for IT Professional Certification are set to announce Tuesday three new certification programs for IT professionals.
The new professional qualifications are: IT Associate Project Manager or CPIT (APM), Business Analyst or CPIT (BA) and Information Security Officer or CPIT (InfoSec). CPIT refers to Certified Professional of IT.
The new certification programs add to the three launched last year--the CPIT (Project Director), CPIT (Systems Architect) and CPIT (Quality Assurance Management).
According to HKITPC, the new certification programs are targeted at the entry to middle levels, and require participants to sit for an examination. On the other hand, the ones introduced last year cater to a more senior level and are not examination-based; instead, participants are required to submit essays and undergo comprehensive interviews.
Hong Kong-based recruitment consultants ZDNet Asia contacted said certification is helpful to job candidates in the IT industry.
Kenneth Hung, managing consultant of the IT&T team at Hudson, said in an e-mail Monday that over 95 percent the company's candidates have some form of certification. "Clients of Hudson do generally look for some sort of locally or internationally recognized certifications in the IT&T industry. It is becoming quite a norm for serious candidates to get certified in the areas that their professions are in."
Certification, he added, lends credibility to candidates and "shows how serious some IT Professionals are to keep themselves updated". For employers, it offers the assurance that the prospective hire knows the basics and is a useful part of the screening process.
Daniel Cheah, manager of the IT commerce division at Robert Walters Hong Kong, told ZDNet Asia in an e-mail that project directors and IT architects are in demand by the industry--about 20 percent of the candidates sourced by the recruitment consultant on behalf of clients are in these roles.
Popular IT professional certifications in Hong Kong include the Project Management Professional, ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) and Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE), he said.
Certification, noted Cheah, helps in a candidate's hiring prospects, career development opportunities and remuneration. According to ZDNet Asia's recent IT salary benchmarks, project management professionals in Hong Kong earn on average annual salary of HK$415,275 (US$53,197).
However, certification is not sufficient, said Cheah. Employers also look for experience in handling projects, he pointed out.
To introduce the new HKITPC certification, a public seminar and a media briefing session will be separately held in the Special Administrative Region tomorrow. More details are available at www.hkitpc.org.