ABOUT
The Development of a Certification Roadmap for IT Professional Certification project was initiated by HKCS and officially gained the green light from OGCIO on the 4th of June 2010 after clearance of various queries and provision of supporting documents.
This project aims to prepare a concise and easily understandable roadmap for qualifications for IT professionals. Such a roadmap is beneficial to the IT industry, its workforce and customers in view of the diverse range of certifications, accreditations and qualifications available for IT professionals now.
This project will define a professional proficiency matrix by proficiency level for each of the generally recognized IT disciplines. The matrix will define at a high level, professional profiles for each title and include a certification roadmap that guides the advancement of IT professionals.
HKCS is the project owner and take the lead in implementing the project. Professionals from across the IT industry have contributed to this project as members of the Steering Committee, Industry Panel and Expert Groups. The project would not be successful without their support and insights, and the Project Team would like to express sincere gratitude to those professionals.
Project Objectives
■To develop a Professional Proficiency Matrix (the Matrix) by level of proficiency for each stream of IT disciplines generally recognized in Hong Kong;
■To define the profession profile needed to achieve certification for each title in the Matrix;
■To develop the Certification Roadmap (the Roadmap) based on the Matrix. The Roadmap shall provide guidance for IT professionals to advance from one level of proficiency to the next with indication on availability of certifications locally or internationally;
■To record, analyze, understand and confirm the needs and acceptance of these certifications, by conducting a survey and follow-up interviews, with stakeholders of the IT Industry of Hong Kong (the Industry);
■To prioritize and develop a Rollout Plan (the Plan) for filling any gaps (qualifications without any certification provider) related to the IT Professional Certification in Hong Kong;
■To establish a Review Committee and develop the Review Process for the continuing review, refinement and expansion of the Matrix and Roadmap;
■To obtain Industry input, support and buy-in on the development of the Matrix, Roadmap and Plan;
■To publish and promote the recommended Roadmap and Plan to the Industry.
Benefits
■Allow members of the IT profession to plan their career development;
■Allow employers to define precisely the skills and experience required in their recruiting efforts;
■Allow professional bodies to identify what gaps there are in professional qualifications and therefore the most meaningful certifications to be developed;
■Provide a good yardstick for the accreditation of school curricula and design of continuing professional development materials;
■Provide a framework for future initiatives to promote cross recognition of certifications with professional bodies overseas;
■Help Government to identify focus areas for supporting the development for further qualifications.