As the critical need for certifications in high-tech convergence and Web technology programs increases exponentially worldwide, TIA and VCampus Corporation, owner of key convergence and vendor-neutral technology certification programs, have announced an intensive campaign to broaden the adoption of their jointly developed certification programs, the CTP and CCNT.

A highlight of the campaign is a 20 percent discount for TIA member companies wanting to certify 10 or more employees. The training program is delivered using an instructor-led online format combined with independent study. The discounted program includes the entire suite of online, CD-ROM and PDF format training materials, as well as exam vouchers. Member companies can also opt for on-site live instruction if 10 or more employees meet at the member’s location. 

Companies that have already endorsed the CTP and CCNT programs or are requiring employees to be certified include Avaya, Cisco, Iwatsu, Mitel, NEC, Nortel, Toshiba, Vertical and Cross Communications.

With the support of prominent information and communications technology (ICT) industry leaders, TIA and VCampus have carefully developed standards-based, industry-accepted exam objectives and curricula to satisfy the explosive demand for qualified salespersons, installers and technicians who serve the world’s reliance on unified communications solutions. The critical requirement for knowledge of how to work with voice, video and data technologies in a converged world are at the heart of the programs, which train and certify individuals in an effort to:

• Decrease labor costs
• Increase profitability
• Improve scheduling efficiencies
• Achieve high customer satisfaction levels
• Establish a baseline mastery of critical skills

With more than 5,100 certified individuals, the Convergence Technologies Professional (CTP) is the largest vendor-neutral convergence certification program in the world. CTP is endorsed by more convergence vendors and service providers than any other certification program. CTP courseware covers data and telephony networking and convergence technologies including industry standards and protocols, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and network convergence. Nearly 20,000 individuals worldwide have also attained the Certified in Convergence Network Technologies (CCNT), a competency-based program that covers a broad range of topics related to the integration of data, voice and video technologies.

For individual staff of TIA member companies, TIA and VCampus are also offering a 10 percent discount on all CTP and CCNT certification exams. 

“In every corner of the globe, employers and individuals rely on these critical programs to demonstrate their competence and qualifications for today’s technology demands,” says Grant Seiffert, President of TIA. “Education, standards and certification are the foundation of TIA’s mission and we’re delighted to be working with VCampus to expand these valuable certification benchmarks.”

TIA and VCampus have also agreed on their intent to explore expanding the relationship by jointly offering the Certified Internet Web (CIW) Professional program, the de facto standard in vendor-neutral, job-role certification for Web professionals. CIW covers Web site design, e-commerce, security, network administration, application development and programming. More than 130,000 certificates have been issued to Web professionals under the CIW banner.

“TIA's ability to create globally-respected standards is an accepted fact in the IT industry,” says James Stanger, Chief Certification Architect for VCampus. “Convergence, Web and IT workers alike use TIA standards every day. I can't think of a better partner to help us provide standards-based technology and Web development education across the globe.”

For more information, visit http://www.ctp-certified.com and http://www.ciw-certified.com.

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Ellen B. Farmer has joined TIA in the new position of Environmental Program Manager. Farmer will manage TIA’s recently-acquired EIATRACK environmental information alert regulatory tracking service and TIA’s global “green” program for the ICT industry.

“This important TIA initiative has the complete support of the association’s Board of Directors. We intend to play a key role addressing industry needs as companies determine how to participate in the green and sustainable resources movements,” said Grant Seiffert, President of TIA. “Ellen Farmer’s international training and diverse experience make her the ideal person to lead our pivotal efforts.”

Farmer brings extensive management and environmental information research experience to TIA, as well as impressive college credentials in the environmental arena. Her master’s degree with honors from King’s College in London focused on the environment, politics and globalization, and her bachelor’s degree was in government and sociology from Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., where she was on the Dean’s List.

Farmer’s experience ranges from environmentally-conscious management of The Mansion on O Street, a boutique hotel and private events venue in Washington, D.C., to consulting and information research at Booz Allen Hamilton, where Farmer focused on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund and the U.S. Postal Service’s energy efficiency program. In addition, she was a researcher and writer at Green Guide Publishing in the United Kingdom.

TIA’s EIATRACK service, acquired in January, provides global benchmarking in environmental intelligence, as well as product-oriented regulatory tracking analysis and reporting. Hundreds of subscribing companies throughout the world use the tool as an early-warning system for monitoring and evaluating environmental legal and regulatory activity. The EIATRACK team consists of experts from the legal, environmental policy and science sectors, including the law firms Beveridge and Diamond (United States); Hunton and Williams (Europe); Holland and Knight (China); and subject-matter experts EcoFrontier (Korea); Tokio Marine (Japan) and WSP Environmental (Australia).

More information is available at www.eiatrack.com.

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NXTcomm, the one event capturing the ecosystem of network-enabled voice, video and data has a new blog: “NXTnotes – the NXTcomm Weblog.” As the official blog of NXTcomm, NXTnotes will explore the intersection of voice, video and data and provide opinions and information on the communications industry as it plays out at NXTcomm08. For more information, go to http://www.nxtcommshow.com/blog/.

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