Java bigwigs offer new certification program

May 17, 1999 — Some of Java’s biggest players today announced the release of a new Java developer certification program — the Certification Initiative for Enterprise Development — designed to offer standardized cross-vendor credentials for enterprise Java application development.

Citing a critical scarcity of Java programmers, and the shift to the server side in Java’s core applications focus, members IBM, Oracle, Sun, the Sun-Netscape Alliance (SNA), and Novell touted the program as beneficial to employers who want a better means for establishing employee credentials, and to developers as ammunition for demanding higher salaries and promotions.

“In the proliferation of Java to the enterprise from the desktop, the complexity of solutions can be overwhelming for many companies,” said Novell Chief Java Strategist Steven Holbrook. “This will simplify the process of cross-platform development and deployment of Java applications.”

Holbrook cited a 1997 International Data Corp. (IDC) report, which concluded that 90 percent of Java-certified employees are likely to stay longer at their positions with a given company than noncertified employees. The same report also found that employers perceived a 40-percent higher productivity level among certified Java developers. The cost of training and certifying programmers under the new system would be quickly offset by those benefits, claimed Holbrook.

Benefits to programmers, said the group, include reduced redundancy in skills testing. As it stands, developers often repeat similar tests when moving from company to company. Many of the tests will not be vendor-specific, eliminating the existing need to test independently with each company. As an additional benefit, members also cited a Gartner Group study, which found that 70.8 percent of all organizations list certification as a key criterion for promotion.

The initiative will offer training and certification on three specific levels:

• Level 1 Certified Programmer: Demonstrates proficiency in the Java programming language. One exam is required for certification.

• Level 2 Certified Solution Developer: Demonstrates competency in application development using Java technology, object-oriented analysis, and design with UML. Two exams are required for certification.

• Level 3 Certified Enterprise Developer: Demonstrates competency with enterprise connectivity with the Java platform and enterprise development with an application server. Two exams are required for certification.

The Level 1 certification test is available today and is equivalent to the Sun Java Programmer certification, said the group. Levels 2 and 3 consist of one general test for competence and one vendor-specific test. The tests will consist largely of those already in use today, and programmers having passed these tests will not be required to repeat them, said the companies.

The average cost of each tests is 25 dollars, with optional training from all members also available at varying costs. Both testing and training will be cheaper in developing countries, said members, though details were not provided.

The group said that membership will be offered to other companies as they are deemed fit. The notable absence of Java giant Hewlett-Packard was downplayed by the group as possibly temporary, and the company did issue a statement endorsing the program.

Aspiring members of the group must be willing to promote an open system for Java development (read: participation in the Java Community Process), and must also follow the skills roadmap determined by CIED’s original members, said Sun Vice President of Education Services Bill Richardson. A temporary schedule of test updates at six-month intervals has been established, he added.

Java certification is also currently offered by Microsoft in the form of the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) certification. MCSD candidates must pass two exams on Windows architecture and services and two exams on programming languages of their choice — including a Java option.

Richardson said that, in contrast to the Microsoft program, CIED targets developers who want a strong cross-platform approach to development, though no specific details on the difference between the programs were provided.

Source: www.infoworld.com