Certifications in Technology

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the demand for professionals in the information technology industry will increase by an average of 10 percent across all professions from 2006 through 2016. In addition to post-secondary education, some employers require technology professionals to have certifications in order to work in the field. In addition to companies like Cisco and Microsoft that offer certification in their own products, numerous organizations offer independent certifications for professionals in particular fields.

International Webmasters Association

• The International Webmasters Association is a nonprofit organization that consists of 200,000 members across 106 countries worldwide, according to the association, as of November 2010. The group has its headquarters in Pasadena, California. The group oversees certification for Certified Web Professionals, or CWPs.

  The International Webmasters Association awards CWP status in seven professional fields related to the Internet businesses and technology. These seven specialties are site design, internetworking, enterprise development, e-commerce, security, service administration and application development. For each specialty, an associate, intermediate and master certification level is available. For each level, applicants must pass a written examination given by the association. The organization offers optional online training courses to help professionals prepare for the exams. In order to maintain certification, CWPs must remain members of the International Webmasters Association and complete a certain amount of continuing education courses every three years.

International Society of Certified Electronics Technicians

• The International Society of Certified Electronics Technicians began offering certification for professionals in the electronics industry in 1965. The name given to the one of the association's certified professionals is a Certified Electronics Technician, or CET. As of November 2010, around 50,000 people worldwide had status as a CET, according to the association.

  CET certification begins with the associate level; anyone can register to take the written examination for this certification, which requires basic knowledge of mathematics and circuitry. Once at the associate level, professionals in the electronics field must pass a specialty examination in one of eight areas of electronics' expertise: consumer, industrial, communications, computer, audio, medical, radar or video. These examinations combine a written component and a practical demonstration of skills. The International Society of Certified Electronics Technicians also offers certification for multimedia systems electronics specialists and appliance repair workers. Online training courses are available to help professionals prepare for any of the the organization's certifications.

Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals

• The Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals began in 1973 and has its headquarters in Des Plaines, Illinois. The organization offers two general professional certifications for professionals working in computer science: the Certified Computing Professional (CCP) and the Associate Computing Professional (ACP). More than 55,000 people held CCP certification status as of November 2010, according to the institute.

  The ACP level is an entry-level certification and is typically geared toward professionals with only one year of experience or less in information technology. An ACP designation is necessary to pursue the CCP certification. The upper-level certification requires the completion of two additional examinations. Professionals can opt to take the exams in more than 25 different areas. Among the specialties are database administration, information technology management, software engineering, program languages like Java or COBOL and microcomputing.

  In addition to its general certifications, the Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals offers professional certifications in some specialty fields of information technology. These professional credentialing programs usually require the completion of at least one examination and may require specialty training courses. Designations include Certified Business Intelligence Professional Certified Data Management Professional and Certified IT Compliance Professional.