Today’s college graduates are entering a rapidly changing professional landscape, perhaps more so now than ever before. With a highly saturated job market, rapidly changing industries, limitless career options, and automation seemingly everywhere, students preparing to enter the current workforce are up against some staggering odds if they want to succeed. However, for educators looking to set their students up for success when breaking into the job market, career readiness skills, such as critical thinking and problem solving, are deemed to be the most useful tools needed to help graduates stand out.
Based on this, the question becomes how educators in higher education institutions can ensure that new graduates demonstrate what they have learned in school, internship programs, or other on-the-job training activities. Cue industry-recognized skills certifications.
What Are Industry Certifications?
Industry certifications are designated credentials earned by an individual, student, or learner to verify their skills and competency to perform specific job requirements. Employers use industry certifications to identify important skills in job candidates, while in higher education, professors and skills teachers can use them to develop talent among their students. These certifications are comparable to degrees and act as resume builders, in that they legitimize coursework and provide potential employers with proof of knowledge.
Digital skills certifications are now more important than ever. Employers value industry certifications because they confirm a candidate’s skill set and, therefore, give candidates with industry certifications a leg-up over the competition. Certifications can range across skills and applications, including mastery of Google or Office365 suite tools, Photoshop, AutoCAD, WordPress, SalesForce, JavaScript, and more.
Such certifications from reputable organizations have become some of today’s most helpful, reliable, and cost-effective ways to support new graduates in building their resumes and knowledge to eclipse fierce job competition. Educators who provide industry certifications as part of their classroom curriculum help students land their dream jobs and enhance their students’ career readiness.
Read on for three ways industry certifications can build career readiness skills for your students.
1. Industry certifications help students stand out in a crowded job market
In the U.S. jobs market, the demand for labor is historically high with nearly 11.3 million job openings reported as of January 2022. The result is a very tight job market in which job openings outnumber job seekers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In addition, employers lament that new graduates often lack the skills needed to succeed in the workplace, according to a survey of nearly 500 executives and hiring managers.
Certifications from reputable organizations can help close this skills gap between employers and job seekers and provide employers with the top talent needed for their open positions, while also helping new graduates and students alike get a leg up among the fierce job market competition. Showing strength with leading digital tools like Office 365 Collaborative Tools (Microsoft), WordPress, Salesforce, and Adobe can be recognized across many industries while proving a student's value and dedication to a hiring organization.
2. Industry certifications enable students to develop new skills to stay ahead of the curve
Current research suggests that skills generally have a “half-life” of about five years, while technical skills have an even shorter lifespan of only two and a half years. It is estimated that over 120 million workers in the world’s twelve largest economies may need to be retrained and upskilled in the next three years as a result of AI-enabled automation. To combat this rapid shelf-life, students and job seekers must continuously re-skill themselves to keep their knowledge and abilities up to date.
Certifications in leading technical roles act as a strong resume builder and showcase skills mastery, boosting a candidate's relevancy for open positions. Job requirements often include some level of mastery of the Google or Microsoft suite tools, and, given that students use these tools regularly in their higher education coursework, why not showcase mastery with an industry certification? Plus, certifications and their matching courses are the fastest way to build technical skills in under three years.
3. Industry certifications demonstrate a strong sense of continuous learning
According to a recent survey from The Harris Poll, 8 out of 10 U.S. hiring decision-makers look for a willingness to learn as essential when determining an applicant’s career readiness. Rather than resting on the laurels of earning a diploma, candidates who further their learning through certifications in relevant skills (like Salesforce or WordPress proficiency) demonstrate this essential desire for continuous learning.
Certifications are a reliable resume builder and show a graduate's willingness to upgrade skills, stay on top of industry trends, and enhance knowledge—all valuable additions to any hiring manager’s team. Certifications also provide for easy retesting or re-mastery of a skill, allowing all employees to consistently reinvest in themselves and their careers.
In Conclusion
Certifications from reputable organizations offer all students the opportunity to demonstrate true career readiness and prove the ways they meet and surpass job requirements. Showcasing valuable knowledge in leading technology not only makes an applicant more appealing but also rounds out a learner’s experience and makes them a more versatile employee. Help your students proudly display their industry-specific skills, gain relevant experience, and develop a love of continuous learning that will serve them well throughout their careers by partnering with leading certification organizations, like Tosa.
Learn more about Tosa’s industry-recognized certifications and what we can offer for your classroom or school district here.
