This resource from Rutgers University’s School of Management and Labor Relations defines high-quality industry certifications, provides a summary of recent research on certifications, and an overview of efforts to promote this goal. The resource puts forth a conceptual framework for identifying a high-quality industry certification. Under this framework, an industry certification must:
- Represent relevant competencies, with appropriate assessment processes, stackability and portability, transparency, accessibility, and affordability;
- Ensure that those who attain the certification possess and be able to demonstrate the competencies that the certification intends to mark;
- Have currency in the market; and
- Yield outcomes of value for individuals, employers, and society, including a range of educational, employment, and social outcomes.
