Industry Standard Certification Initiative
 Industry certifications are important components of Career and Technology Education programs and are gaining importance in the business world as evidence of skill attainment. Hundreds of certifications are available and more are introduced each year. Earning a certification has many benefits. It gives the student a sense of accomplishment, a highly valued professional credential, and helps make them more employable with higher starting salaries.
The Texas Education Agency has aligned industry certifications with the Career Clusters as represented in the
Achieve Texas initiative.
Certification opportunities are one avenue through which Career and Technology Education fulfills its goals under state law: Each public school student shall master the basic skills and knowledge necessary for:
- Managing the dual roles of family member and wage earner; and
- Gaining entry-level employment in a high-skill, high-wage job or continuing the student’s education at the postsecondary level.
The Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Career and Technical Education has been conducting Industry Certification Training and/or Testing Academies in various regions of the state. Funding for these academies is supported through the Governor’s Education for a Lifetime initiative. These certifications are “value added” to help Career and Technology Education teachers become better qualified to teach current market skills and allow them to provide students the opportunity to obtain student-selected verified credits by achieving the same industry certification credentials while passing related Career and Technology Education programs and/or courses.
Arizona legislated a mandate that requires Career and Technology Education programs to lead to an industry certification by the spring of 2008. They feel that this will provide leadership for “value added” recognition of certificates with business.
With the job market continuously changing, students are requiring an increased level of skills and education. It is the school district’s job to provide students an opportunity to prove their skills and education qualifies them to compete with others in their chosen field. Industry certification will allow this validation.
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