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IT industry association CompTIA announced the latest addition to its CompTIA CertMaster portfolio, a learning course for CompTIA IT Fundamentals, the association’s newest certification.
The course covers a range of IT topics and provides a grounding in the basics of computing technology.
The certification is relevant for organizations that want to promote and verify basic fluency in IT terminology and concepts among their employees, as well as individuals whose jobs require them to have a foundational level understanding of IT terminology and students and adult career changers considering a career in IT.
“The demand for IT professionals trained and certified in the latest technology solutions is present and growing. Data from multiple sources indicates that the number of current IT job openings numbers in the hundreds of thousands,” Thomas Reilly, vice president of CompTIA Learning, told eWEEK. “Yet our research and studies from other organizations consistently show that gaps in IT skills–between the skill level job applicants have and the skills the employer seeks–remains a challenge for most businesses. Few companies are exactly where they want to be with staff expertise and experience.”
CompTIA CertMaster is an online, confidence-based learning solution designed to help individuals learn and retain information more effectively.
The software combines principles of brain science, neurobiology, cognitive psychology and game study to help users master, not just memorize, the material they need to know.
“Businesses rely on lawyers who’ve passed a bar exam to handle their legal matters. They retain Certified Public Accountants to deal with finance and tax matters,” Reilly said. “Virtually every facet of a business is reliant on technology in some form or fashion. Doesn’t it make sense to place responsibility for this critical investment in the hands of someone who is certified by their industry?”
“IT literacy is a critical element in today’s innovation economy, which drives employment and powers growth in many other industries,” Reilly said. “We designed CompTIA IT Fundamentals to addresses the need for a deeper understanding of technology fundamentals throughout an organization. It provides a solid grounding in the technology concepts and practices organizations use today.”
The IT Fundamentals exam covers five categories of technology basics, including software, hardware, security, networking and IT literacy, and complete exam objectives are also available on the CompTIA Certification Website.
“Aside from the technical proficiency, employees with IT certifications possess better communications skills and better project management skills. More than ever, companies value tech workers who think strategically, communicate effectively and possess strong business fundamentals,” Reilly said. “It’s their expertise that identifies ways to use technology to make the business operate more efficiently or less expensively. Being able to translate business talk into tech talk and back again; or combining tech skills with business savvy, such as project management, is a major differentiator.”
CompTIA CertMaster is currently available for the CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+ and IT Fundamentals exams, and the company plans to add additional courses in the coming months.
Reilly noted the company’s 2015 product roadmap includes significant updates to several of our certifications – including CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner, Network+ and Server+.
“We’ll also continue to build out the CertMaster product line with new courses,” he said.