Thursday, January 21st at 11:00 a.m. Central
This month’s member meeting will be presented by Susan Farago and Becky Shine from Scaled Agile.
2020: A Year of (unexpected) Skills Initiatives and Certification Results
2020 provided unplanned opportunities for the Scaled Agile (SAI) Certification Program to try new approaches to skills development and candidate recognition. The results even surprised us as we guided trainers into virtual teaching and watched an explosive demand for SAFe credentials and skills in the labor market.
This presentation will share the details and results of two grand unplanned experiments: the first is the creation and publication of the SAFe Remote Trainer e-Learning + digital badge, and the second is the tracking and use of Credly labor market insights to measure and showcase the demand for SAFe jobs throughout 2020.
Looking ahead to 2021, the biggest emerging trend SAI sees for the IT Certification industry is that certifications (and certification programs) must evolved beyond exams and certificates. Candidates now rely on credentialing programs to help them not just measure what they know, but to assist them in the growth and ongoing recognition of their skills in an ever-changing labor market where business agility is becoming more and more important.
Q&A with Susan Farago
Why is this topic important to the IT certification industry?
2020 provided two unplanned opportunities for the Scaled Agile (SAI) Certification Program to evolve beyond building exams and try new approaches to skills development, assessment, and recognition. These opportunities directly resulted in enabling SAI partners and enterprise customers to resume their adoption of SAFe while increasing the demand for SAFe credentials.
What key takeaway do you hope attendees learn or implement based on your presentation?
Certification programs should:
- Think beyond building exams.
- Look for opportunities to help candidates develop or expand their skills and provide ongoing recognition for their experience.
- Leverage data to show emerging trends and growth opportunities for the program’s credentials in the job market.
What’s the biggest change for the IT certification industry that this topic is driving? Or should be aware of? Trends?
Certifications have evolved beyond exams and certificates. Candidates now rely on credentialing programs to help them not just measure their knowledge, skills, or abilities, but to assist them in the growth and ongoing recognition of their skills in an ever-changing labor market.
About our Speakers
Susan Farago
Certification Program Manager, Scaled Agile, Inc.
Susan Farago manages the Professional Certification Program for Scaled Agile, Inc. located in Boulder, Colorado. She joined SAI in 2016 to establish a global certification program and to make the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) certifications highly sought-after, respected, and valued across the Agile community. She has over 25 years of experience in the IT credentialling industry and enjoys working on all facets of certification program growth and management.
Becky Shine
Becky Shine is an exam development specialist on the Scaled Agile Certification team. She joined Scaled Agile in February of 2019. Becky has been involved in education for most of her career working in the elementary, higher education, and education technology industries. Her role at SAI gives her the opportunity to share her love for lifelong learning as well as to uphold and strengthen the integrity of the SAI Certification Program.
