Industry certification and academic degrees: complementary, or poles apart?

ABSTRACT

University ICT degrees give students a well-rounded, broad base with which to move into industry. Graduates may however find that without specific product skills many employers may be reluctant to hire them [9]. One method of credentialing for specific products that has become predominant, described as a "parallel universe" [1], and that many advocate as being complementary to and may integrate with academic degrees, is industry-based certification. Some however, see industry certification as product-specific training, and academic degrees as education, with each being completely different markets. This discussion informs and advances that debate.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Accreditation

Additional Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Computer science education; Information systems education; Curriculum

General Terms:
Economics, Standardization

Keywords:
IS research, IT job market, academic curricula, industry certification, industry-based education