National PONSI's E-News Update - Spring 2011
National PONSI's MISSION
“Translating noncollegiate learning into college credit recommendations while increasing
access to higher education for working adults and other nontraditional students.”
Feature Article: Does Certification Fit Into a Student's Higher Education Goals?
Written by Lisa Sallstrom, PMP, Director of Certification for APICS
On the College and University Front: Framingham State University
Welcome New Noncollegiate Organizations
Spotlight: Javaonline.org
Web Intern, Ryan Stanton, Updates National PONSI's Look
Yeshiva Learning Experience and Ramapo for Children Post Logos!
Specifications for Submitting Logos to our Website
Save the Date: October 21, 2011
Call for articles and notable news!
Does Professional Certification Fit into a Student’s Higher Education Goals? (PDF)
Written by Lisa Sallstrom, PMP
Director, Certification
APICS The Association for Operations Management
The Importance of Certification
The concept of certification emerged in the 1930’s as a form of self-regulation by associations to avoid government direction, an impractical and costly process for many professions (1). As certifications became more widely accepted, in many cases as a substitution for licensing, best practices for the industry were created to uphold standards for the creation and delivery of certification programs. Professional certifications emerged as a method for determining an individual’s knowledge, skills and abilities to perform a specific job through some form of competency assessment which usually involves examination and ongoing maintenance of the credential to ensure skills are kept current with changing industry demands.
In my opinion, the benefits of achieving a professional certification extend beyond increased salary and job opportunities. Job retention in the volatile employment market we’ve seen over the last five years is equally important. When organizations are faced with difficult decisions involving workforce reductions, individuals who can demonstrate they are the most skilled and knowledgeable will be retained. In contrast, I have seen organizations take advantage of current market volatility to expand and reach new market segments. In this situation, individuals holding a certification have a competitive edge when new opportunities are available at their organizations.
Certification is also important to the organization or business who seeks to employ a certified workforce. A common language and business process across all departments and work locations can be critical to achieving key metrics and business goals. Additionally employers utilizing industry-accepted standards for validating employee’s skills can achieve a competitive advantage by marketing and leveraging the talents of a certified workforce.
As an example, in 1973, APICS The Association for Operations Management launched the APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management designation, a certification program, to provide a common basis for individuals to master and demonstrate skills in inventory control, production planning, forecasting, and logistics. Over 35 years later and with more than 90,000 professionals having earned the APICS CPIM credential, it has become a standard for the supply chain and operations management fields. For instance, I executed a one-day search of on-line job postings in the United States that returned over 450 positions requiring or preferring an APICS certification. Furthermore, the APICS Operations Management Employment Outlook Study reveals that individuals who hold the APICS CPIM designation generally earn a 13% higher salary than those without and for those with CSCP certification the increase is 11%. Microsoft, one of the leading certifying bodies in IT, reports the added market value that a certification brings can be as high as 30-40% in salary uplift (2).
The Importance of a College Education
Unlike certification, higher education exposes students to many different fields of study to help figure out exactly what career to pursue. My undergraduate degree required a core curriculum of general classes that all students regardless of major must complete. Courses in math, English, and history develop skills in reasoning, tolerance, reflection, communication, speech and writing—all essential skills in any job position. This type of instruction yields a broad understanding of the world, and provides a foundation of important concepts and principles outside the chosen field of study. The result is a more well-rounded, versatile and employable individual.
The social aspect of college and how that facilitates the creation of a personal and professional network plays a very important role in landing a job. The US Department of Labor reports that
63.4 % of all workers use informal job finding methods. Furthermore, the Wall Street Journal reports that 94% of successful job hunters claimed that networking made a difference for them. Sororities, fraternities, academic and special interest clubs, and professional societies provide the environment for building long lasting relationships that can be of great professional assistance in the future.
In my career, I’ve worked for three separate companies. The job hunt for those three positions was intense and competitive. Employer feedback I received in some cases indicated they received over 500 applicants for the position I was targeting. I had also seen even more staggering reports in the news of over 4,000 applicants for some job openings. Reaching out to my personal network for help resulted in success for two of the three jobs I held during my career. In many cases assistance can be in the form of hand carrying a copy of the resume to the hiring manager—small action that can return big results. My daughter is now exploiting her college networking opportunities by creating a LinkedIn profile. She will be graduating this year with over 100 contacts many of which are currently working in her target field.
Earning a college degree takes several years of personal and financial commitment.
Recent college preparatory meetings I attended with my daughter targeted a minimum of 5 years as full time students to earn an undergraduate degree. Time is invested in studying for exams, completing assignments and earning credits while characteristics such as time management, decision-making, prioritization, and accountability are sharpened. The personal and financial investment and demonstration of personal growth confirms to potential employers that an individual is dedicated to their career. With the job market saturated with competent, qualified individuals seeking work, employers have the luxury of being extremely discriminate with requiring certain skills sets and educational achievements. The college degree has now become an expected requirement of employability for most professional-level jobs.
Benefits of awarding college credit to students that pursue certification
Professional certifications and college degrees both serve a common purpose—to prepare an individual for their career. Since I hold both college degrees and certifications, I have experienced unique benefits to each program that, when combined, can create a much more powerful value proposition to employers. Some colleges and universities have begun offering recognition to students who pursue a certification while working toward a college degree. Academic recognition of certification achievement can take various forms from contributing to a student’s grade to awarding college credit for passing a certification exam.
Third party accrediting organizations such as the National Program on Noncollegiate Sponsored Instruction (PONSI) provide an unbiased recommendation of college credit points to award for passing certification exams. Through an in-depth review with the certifying body on certification content, eligibility criteria, testing procedures, and record keeping; a certification program is evaluated and compared against higher education learning experiences for possible credits. APICS certification exams are accredited for college credit through National PONSI. On a frequent basis students contact APICS for copies of their exam transcripts which they can use to apply for college credit.
Whatever path a student chooses, it is clear that the combination of professional certification, a college degree, and a solid network will ease the transition to a career and provide a foundation for future success.
Footnotes:
(1) National Certification Commission
(2) "The Value of Certification, Connecting the dots between employers and employees." A Microsoft Learning Whitepaper, March 2007
On the College and University Front: Framingham State University
Set on 73 acres 20 miles west of Boston, Framingham State University, a public four-year institution founded in 1839, offers 25 undergraduate and 24 graduate programs. FSU is accredited by
the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, and the American Dietetic Association Commission on Accreditation/Approval for Dietetics Education.
In 1996, Framingham State University joined National PONSI's growing list of cooperating colleges and universities; this year, we are pleased to announce that Framingham State University has posted a complete
profile on our website which will be sure to catch the attention of potential students. Thank you, Framingham State University, for your continued dedication to serving non-traditional students.
Welcome New Noncollegiate Organizations
This past fall and winter have been busy for National PONSI as our travels brought us up and down the East coast and eventually even overseas! Welcome to the following new National PONSI noncollegiate organizations: ChildCare Education Institute, Faith Buillders Educational Programs, Inc., Javaonline.org, Newark School of Theology, Ma'alot Yerushalayim, The Rechtshaffen Institute of Judaic Studies, and Theological Research Institute, Ltd.
Special thanks to our gracious hosts in Israel, Mrs. Nechama Landesman from Ma'alot and Rabbi Barry Munic, at the Rechtshaffen Institute. Although we were in evaluations most of the day, we managed to find time to tour the Old City and take in the beautiful sights and wonderful cuisine in Jerusalem. Our thoughts go out to all of our organizations in Israel during this troubled time. Shalom.
Spotlight: Javaonline.org
Online courses in Java programming offered by Javaonline.org, a distance-learning education company, were recently evaluated by a team of experts on behalf of National PONSI. In November, evaluators Andrew Hurd, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC), Dr. John Avitabile, Associate Professor of Computer Science at The College of Saint Rose, and Ms. Susan Gallagher, Director of Distance and Online Learning at HVCC, carefully reviewed the online learning experiences and awarded college credit recommendations.
Javaonline.org was founded in 2003 by Dr. Prabhakar Metlapalli, Ph.D., author of JavaServer Pages Illuminated, (Jones & Bartlett Publishers, Boston, October 2007). Dr. Metlapalli worked as adjunct faculty in the Computer & Information Science Department at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and has also worked as a Java / JSP developer in a B2B start-up firm in Rockville, Maryland. His company's objective is to offer top-quality, low-cost, 100% online Java/JSP training courses for beginners who may have a limited background in programming. The courses use examples that relate directly to the corporate programming environment.
After careful review for several days culminating in a full-day review at the offices of the New York State Department of Education, the evaluation team offered guidance for Dr. Metlapalli to successfully merge industry needs with the academic rigor vital for students to succeed. As a result of the team's review and Dr. Metlapalli's extensive background in Java, all five course received college credit recommendations.
It is expected that students completing these courses can not only take advantage of college credit but also become employable by the industry when they graduate. The course content is tailored to "industry specs," which is critical for job-seeking graduates in today's difficult economic scenario.
Be sure to visit Javaonline.org course exhibits with college credit recommendations.
Ryan Stanton Brings National PONSI into the 21st Century!
Over the next month you will see changes, great and small, to the National PONSI website in our efforts to improve communication with colleges, universities, noncollegiate organizations, and students. Ryan Stanton, a student at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, NY, has been helping us develop a new look for the Website and encouraging us to incorporate technology into our communication efforts.
Ryan is finishing up his Associate Degree in Web Design at HVCC and will begin working toward a Bachelor Degree in Computer Science this fall at the State University of New York at Potsdam. Be sure to keep an eye out for his changes including an opportunity to subscribe to our RSS feed. Please visit the new discussion forum Ryan created, and be sure to contribute to our discussions on LinkedIn. A special thank you to Ryan for all of his tech-savvy help! As always, your feedback is welcome. Post suggestions to our forum or email: natponsi@mail.nysed.gov.
Yeshiva Learning Experience and Ramapo for Children Posts Logos
....you can too!
Two member organizations have recently taken advantage of our reduced rate and posted their logos and links to our Website! Yeshiva Learning Experience, Inc., is a Judaic Studies organization located in Israel offering courses in Hebrew, Talmud, and Ethics. Ramapo for Children, located in Rhinebeck, New York, is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit organization serving children with special needs and offering educational programs for counselors.
In response to feedback from a recent survey sent out to our member organizations, we have lowered the cost to post a logo. In addition, as a free service to all of our member organizations, we are in the process of including a link to your organization's Website directly from your course exhibits on our Website. We urge all organizations to consider posting a link to www.nationponsi.org on your Website, so that your students can benefit fully from their college credit recommendations. For more information on how to word information about our service, please see Resources for New Members. Post a logo today: natponsi@mail.nysed.gov .
E-News Update Submissions for Publication Wanted!!
Please showcase your knowledge and share your success with National PONSI. We welcome submissions to our E-News Update, published bi-monthly. Encourge students to share their college success stories, update us with news from your college, university or organization, and consider writing opinion or research based articles on issues pertinent to our mission. Please send all materials to Tina Grant for consideration. The next deadline for submission is Friday, April 29, 2011.
Specifications for submitting a logo to National PONSI's Website:
The image file cannot exceed the dimensions of 130 px in width by 135 px in height. The image file needs to be a GIF or JPG file.
Return to top
Save the Date: October 21, 2011
National PONSI will hosts the "1st Ever Half-Day Conference"
in NYC for noncollegiate organizations. Featured speakers include Lisa Sax,
Director of Corporate and Community Parnterships at Empire State College, and Dr. Laura Shea-Doolan, Associate Professor of Education at Molloy College.
Stay tuned for more information!
