It has been the goal of educators around the globe to help spread education in a manner that allows it to be both accessible and popular among wide branches of society. Seeking to eliminate the limitations brought upon by geography, international educational institutions have worked for years to open their doors and course programs up to the rest of the world. Many colleges even partner with universities abroad to build local campuses of the institution which is manned by the university’s own teaching body to spread education beyond borders. Now, with the steady growth of technology, we see another resurgence in this trend, particularly over the course of the last ten years. Global universities and independent enterprises have made huge leaps forward in building the infrastructure required to take the process of educating students and make it into a truly universal phenomenon, one which is accessible to people from all walks of life.
Internet and Education Beyond Boundaries
The extent to which the internet has become indispensable to our daily lives cannot be understated simply based off the utility and capabilities provided by the worldwide web. With its growth, there have been a surge of internet oriented services for specialized needs, and one of the industries that embraced this was education. Aside from having established their own digital presence, it allows prospective students from across the globe to sign up for a variety of programs to help grow as individuals and strengthen their academic and professional capacities. This may be a diploma, certificate or even a full-time degree course that can be accessed from a remote location. Although, recent trends indicate a period of growth for certification programs geared toward creating skillsets aimed at making candidates directly contribute more to their professional lives through the expertise of the program.
The discussion surrounding certification programs rest largely upon its direct benefits and impacts. For instance, it allows professionals who have successfully completed the course to command a better pay scale, with tangible proof of their enhanced capabilities, and organizations take care to align their roles in accordance with their new skill sets. It is a dynamic, pro-active approach at helping a promising employee grow alongside their company or institution through their professional development and contributions. Moreover, they require a more modest investment in time and resources, so as to not put immediate financial strain on the candidate, alongside the pressures of both a full time job, and commitment to a long term education program. Often times, professionals are required to put aside their professional aspirations for the sake of personal growth and experience, but with the help of the internet, educational programs like this can help shape a better precedent for the corporate world’s approach to developing its workforce.
Thriving Examples
Keeping that facet of the popularity behind certifications in mind, it is the responsibility of human resources professionals within an organization to develop and operate a managerial system to help develop promising employees. Much of the time management responsibilities rest on them, and their input is valuable when determining strategically if certifications are the way to go. Incidentally, the human resources industry has taken strongly to the idea of these programs, with their industry being one of the most prime examples of success within the online education industry to incorporate internet based learning into their qualification structure. As such, HR certifications are a hugely popular phenomenon, which have been training young professionals all across the globe at different stages of their career. Certifications are often a kind of “trial by fire” for experienced candidates seeking to expand their roles in an organization or seek entry into Human Resources from another industry. It is finding a home in other industries as well, serving core training functions at IT companies for coding and programming and analysis oriented industries like data science, investment banking, security and recently, even in the expanding blockchain industry set on being a revolution in its own right.
Knowing the Facts
Some core understandings about the nature of these programs is essential when making decisions about if they are beneficial to the growth of a professional. It is often a personal decision and it is important to understand how it works, and identify potential pitfalls for the sake of our own benefit. Firstly, certification institutions are only as good as their reputation and quality of services, and it is important to remember that a candidate must ensure that the course they are applying for is held to a global standard of achievement, that is, it is recognized as a mark of credibility and this often depends on the institutions and its educational history. These are among the most important choices that a candidate must make. Identifying which certification is right for you is also important, as they function as a credibility check only if this can be verified at regular intervals after which the candidate must take the next program in order to progress the growth of their skillset or retake their original with updated material to retain their certification- this is done every few years so it is a periodic investment that must be done according to the needs of the candidate. Figuring out which program is right for you, and then sticking by towards maintaining credentials or improving their level of mastery by undertaking a higher level course must be decisions that are taken in context of the professional’s work experience and history. There are barriers of entry to higher level courses, meaning that those who wish to access these other courses must have attained job experience through their previous certification. While most entry level courses can be taken by anyone, allowing numerous employment opportunities, more advanced courses require a foundation upon which they can build on.
Conclusion
As the strength of our global interconnectivity continues to grow, programs like these are gaining more ground and a higher capacity to help create lasting change in the lives of the global workforce, seeking to bridge some fundamental boundaries that separate us economically and geographically to help promote a more global work culture as well as a dedicated approach toward mutual growth of capabilities and scope, to help build a brighter future as we move toward a more independent, technologically-driven tomorrow.