Cheating is trending in the it cert world

It didn't take long for the test center proctor to realize something was amiss. One group of people clearly stood out from the rest of the candidates taking a popular IT certification exam. They sat rigidly in their chairs, hardly moving at all, and they proceeded through the questions at a pace of six items per minute, well above the norm of one to two questions per minute. All scored well above the minimum needed to pass the test.

After the testing concluded, the test center called in Caveon LLC, a consultancy that specializes in test security, including data forensics, to review the situation. "At first blush it looks like by using a Bluetooth speaker and a video camera they were collaborating with a subject-matter expert offsite," says Caveon's vice president Steve Addicott.

Such equipment is readily available online at sites like the aptly named spycheatstuff.com. Aspiring cheaters can buy wireless speakers that fit deep inside the ear canal, where they can't easily be seen, as well as tiny cameras that are simple to hide. The suspected cheaters in this case were most likely sitting still to give their hidden cameras a clear video image of the screen, Addicott says. The review of that particular case is still ongoing.

Cheating is trending

IT certifications have become a primary route to both salary premiums and career advancement, according to a recent Foote Partners report. So it's no surprise that, as the popularity of certifications has grown, so has cheating. "Jobs and careers are at stake here, so people will attempt all sorts of things," says Matthew Poyiadgi, vice president of Pearson Education Inc.'s Pearson VUE business unit, which manages 5,100 test centers worldwide and counts the IT certification program manager CompTIA among its clients.

And while CompTIA estimates that the level of cheating on IT certification exams is less than 5%, industry insiders say the problem is growing and that keeping up with the cheats requires constant vigilance.

How people cheat

• Bring high-tech spy cameras and Bluetooth earpieces into test centers to show questions to and receive answers from an off-site expert
• Purchase stolen test content from overseas "brain dump" sites and then memorize the questions and/or answers
• Share questions and answers in online chat rooms
• Hire an expert as a proxy to take the test for them
• Bring low-tech cheat sheets into the test center on index cards, write answers on the palm of the hand, etc.
• Surreptitiously use a smartphone to gain unfair advantage through use of texting, images, online searches, etc., during an exam.

-- Robert L. Mitchell

So far, cheating doesn't appear to have devalued most IT certifications in the eyes of hiring managers. For the 309 IT certifications that Foote Partners tracks, the average pay premium across 2,600 surveyed companies has gone up for the last four consecutive quarters, says CEO David Foote.

While there's no way to definitively know if a prospective hire has cheated to obtain an IT certification, employers can and should check with the certification body to make sure the person actually attained it. "Trust, but verify," says Addicott.

For the most part, he adds, hiring managers can trust that verified IT certifications were legitimately earned."Just a few rotten apples have cast doubt on the qualifications of individuals in the IT profession," he says. But, he adds, it is possible that a few individuals have benefitted from the live exam content available online and used that to gain a higher score on an exam. So an IT certification should only be one part of the hiring decision.

Other steps include checking references, reviewing employment history and asking a few carefully crafted questions designed to gauge whether the candidate really knows his or her stuff.

Where the cert developers fit in

Developers of IT certification programs, such as Microsoft and CompTIA, contract with Prometric, Pearson VUE and other independent test centers that administer and proctor tests worldwide on their behalf. These businesses also provide training services, and so must have a secure firewall between the testing and training sides of the business.

IT certification bodies and test center operators are engaged in an arms race with pirates who steal test questions and answers, and with cheaters who buy that information, share answers in chat rooms, pay "proxies" (people who will to take tests for them) and bring a range of technologies and techniques into test centers to gain an edge. IT certification organizations, worried about degradation of their credentials, are striking back by turning to more sophisticated methods to catch cheaters and mitigate piracy. And cheaters who get caught increasingly face more than just a slap on the wrist.

Even people who cheat and don't get caught during the exam still have reason to worry. Pearson VUE records every session to digital video and reviews it after the fact. Recently, scrutiny of unusual head movements tipped off the team that one test taker had an embedded camera in his glasses. "The way people are cheating is changing. They're using technology more," Poyiadgi says.

But the most common ways people try to cheat aren't always the most high-tech, says Shelby Grieve, Microsoft's director of professional certifications including the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert and Microsoft Technology Associate. "The trend has moved from taking exam answers into a testing center to more passive methods of cheating, such as using 'brain-dump' sites and proxy testing services," she says.

Grieve says Microsoft has caught candidates who colluded online through question and answer sharing, as well as people who used low-tech approaches such as copying off other peoples' exams, texting answers and even modifying someone else's printed score report.

Potential consequences for those who get caught

• Immediate disqualification from the current test
• Ban on taking the test again for a period of time -- or for life
• Loss of all previous certifications from the IT certification program provider

-- Robert L. Mitchell

Brain-dump sites don't just provide a place where users can share answers, says Caveon's Addicott. "These websites aggressively sell pirated test content and package it as test prep materials -- and they guarantee that you'll pass. It's a real problem with IT certifications," he says. Most of these sites are based in Asia, where it's more difficult to shut down the sites and prosecute the offenders. Overseas test center franchises with lax controls have been a source for test theft and cheating because tests and answer keys are typically always downloaded and stored at each location, giving cheaters easier access, he adds.

"The single biggest factor in how much cheating you have is if you test internationally, and IT certification programs are virtually all international programs," says John Fremer, president of Caveon's Consulting Services group.

Rise of the hired gun

Proxy test-taking is growing concern for Bryan Kainrath, vice president for certification operations at CompTIA, which owns the A+, Network+ and other popular IT certifications. "We're seeing more proxy testing than we have in the past. Most proxy scams involve hiring someone in China to take a test for someone in the U.S. That happens all the time," he says.

A few years ago, a large IT certification provider engaged Caveon to hire a proxy and attempt to pass the test without being caught. "The certification program paid us, we paid a proxy service and one of my colleagues earned this prestigious certification even though he had no background," says Addicott. The price to cheat: A $1,000 check wired through Western Union. The terms were 50% down, with the balance paid after the job was completed.

Proxy test-taking services are big business overseas, in part because what Americans consider cheating is culturally more acceptable in some other locations, Caveon's Fremer says. The buyer signs up and the proxy goes to a test center and takes the test. It's good money, says Fremer. "In some parts of the world you can earn six months' salary with one proxy test-taking event."

A sample letter from Caveon LLC's interaction with a proxy website. By paying the site to hire a proxy to take the test in his place, a Caveon staff person "earned" a prestigious IT certification for which he had no background. Caveon removed the name of the test to protect the client. Source: Caveon LLC.

In some cases, proxies have been able to skirt security protocols by visiting corrupt testing facilities overseas that operate both a legitimate "front room" test area and a fraudulent "back room" operation. "Those stringent protocols aren't followed when the test center runs its own proxy ring," which can be very lucrative, Addicott says.

To address proxy test-taking, test centers typically require candidates to present a photo ID, and a few centers, including those directly managed by Pearson VUE, have added biometric identification and digital signatures, as well as taking the candidate's photo. Once a person has registered under one identity, he can't act as a proxy for someone else. What's more, the person who hired the proxy will be caught if she tries to take another test, since her photo and biometric data won't match.

Test centers might also record the test subjects on digital video, and put the test taker's photo right on the certification report. "Proxy testing used to be a big thing," says Pearson's Poyiadgi. "But once we required digital photos and digital signatures it disappeared."

But while the "gold standard" of testing security applies to the 500 testing centers that Pearson VUE owns, that can vary at the other 4,600 sites owned by Pearson's partners, including IT training organizations and colleges and universities that test students at the end of a training program.

Den of thieves

Pirates use a variety of techniques to steal entire tests and answer keys. These include sending people into test centers to remember or photograph sets of questions. (This type of "item harvesting" might require sending as few as 10 people into a test center to memorize all of the questions on a given test.)

It can also involve outright theft of test data from corrupt or lax test centers. "Because the whole test and answer key is downloaded to servers at each location the entire item bank and answer key are available to be hacked. It's really problematic," Caveon's Addicott says -- and it's leading some certification and testing organizations to move to a SaaS-based test delivery model. ( See sidebar, below.)

When test takers try to cheat using brain-dump sites, however, they sometimes end up getting cheated themselves. In some cases the sites deliver fraudulent or obsolete content to unsuspecting buyers, says Dave Meissner, chief operating officer at Kryterion Inc., a provider of online IT certification testing services. "If people spent the same energy and creativity to study as they do to cheat they would be far better off."

In response, IT certification bodies have staged coordinated attacks on brain-dump sites where the pirates attempt to sell the looted data, including the use of cease and desist orders and raids, says Kainrath. "We'll meet with Cisco, Microsoft, VMware and try to figure out the best approach to mitigate these sites," he says.

"If we find out that a test center has been colluding in any way, that center is shut down by our security team," says Poyiadgi. Pearson VUE, he adds, has only experienced "a handful of cases."

For the industry as a whole, however, combating intellectual property theft has been an uphill battle. "You can shut the sites down but it's like pulling the top off a weed. It just pops up somewhere else," Kainrath adds.

"It's not mom and pop" thieves, says Fremer. "Organized sophisticated stealers can make millions -- or tens of millions -- from just one certification program."

So, test sites and certification programs try to react quickly to minimize the damage. CompTIA monitors online brain-dump sites and chat rooms for stolen test items, and uses analytics to determine whether any given question's effectiveness in measuring competency might have been compromised. "As soon as there's been any degradation we pull the item," Kainrath says. "We have huge item banks in reserve and can move questions in and out quickly."

Story continues on next page.

Attacking pirates from the cloud

The traditional computer-based testing approach of having full copies of IT certification tests and answers stored in thousands of test centers worldwide has made test theft difficult to stop. To reduce the risk, IT certification providers are beginning to adopt Internet-based technology (IBT), cloud-based software as a service methodology that delivers questions, one at a time, in encrypted form, to a secured browser on each test taker's desktop.

This approach eliminates the need to download and store tests and answer keys at each testing site, which can have different levels of security depending on their size and where they're located. "The use of IBT is still relatively small but growing," Caveon's vice president Steve Addicott says, and big players such as Microsoft and CompTIA are already starting to adopt it.

At Microsoft, "We use the traditional delivery engine as well as just-in-time, Internet-based delivery," says Shelby Grieve, Microsoft's director of professional certifications.

Internet Testing Systems LLC sells software and online proctoring services that IT certification programs and test centers can use via a private-label portal to deliver content over the Internet to test takers anywhere. "We stream encrypted test items one at a time and only decrypt them when rendered on the screen," says Cabell Greenwood, vice president of business development.

Kryterion offers IBT and online proctoring for IT certification programs. With online proctoring, "There's no opportunity for any level of collusion between the proctor and the test taker," says Dave Meissner, chief operating officer at Kryterion Inc.

CompTIA is working with Pearson VUE to deploy IBT, possibly later this year, and Bryan Kainrath, vice president for certification operations at CompTIA, is bullish on the technology's prospects. "We don't have to send the answer keys. We pull the items back, take it offline, do the scoring and send the results to the candidate. We can secure items for a lot longer."

But IBT isn't always a good fit. It requires significant bandwidth, and some testing centers, particularly in overseas locations where the most intellectual property theft occurs, don't have enough to reliably deliver tests in that way, Addicott says.

-- Robert L. Mitchell

That process can present an expensive challenge, however, because organized theft rings can compromise entire tests within three to five weeks of when they're first released, while most IT certification exams are refreshed every 12 to 15 months, Addicott says.

Kainraith admits that's a problem, but he thinks that questions take a bit longer to appear on brain-dump sites, and says CompTIA replaces tests at a rapid pace. "We're able to churn our items a lot faster than 12 to 15 months," he says, although he declined to say how fast.

While CompTIA has the scale and resources to turn over its test questions more quickly, smaller IT certification programs are more limited because the cost of building and maintaining tests ranges from hundreds of dollars per question to thousands of dollars per test item, according to Caveon.

Countermeasures: Tripping up the cheats

Catching cheaters has become its own science. "More candidates are sharing knowledge than we've seen in the past," says Kainrath. But both test centers and IT certification owners have ways of figuring out who's using stolen and shared test data, as well as who might be coming in to steal it.

In addition to using live proctors, Microsoft and others are moving toward online proctoring, which combines the use of a video camera with a live feed of the test taker's screen. While an online proctor is limited by what he can see on a video camera, it's easier to take immediate action against cheaters, Grieve says. Because they can look for suspicious activity at the question level, online proctors can identify cheating sooner and end the test before the candidate can see -- and possibly compromise -- the rest of the exam content.

How test centers stop cheaters

• Use live and/or online proctors trained to spot suspicious activity
• Ban all electronic devices from the test room
• Perform forensic analysis of the test results to detect "anomalous" behavior that might indicate cheating
• Use "Trojan horse" questions or other innovative test designs that tip off test program managers that the candidate studied stolen test content
• Identity validation with photo ID, digital signatures, biometrics; photograph the subject and include it on the test report to thwart proxy test takers
• Randomize order of multiple-choice test questions and answers
• Use multiple exam versions containing completely different questions
• Use scenario-based questions that require that the candidate perform an action by interacting with a simulation, rather than answering a multiple choice question
• Use adaptive testing that varies each successive question based on the answer given to the previous one and stops the test as soon as proficiency is determined

-- Robert L. Mitchell

Test centers also have ways to tell if candidates have been memorizing stolen test questions and answers or sharing knowledge in chat rooms. "We leverage several different publication strategies and question types designed specifically to address cheating," Grieve says.

While Grieve declined to provide details, Addicott says some of the more basic anomalies include people who perform at "superhuman speeds" on the exam or who perform well on items that have been on the test a long time while scoring poorly on newer items -- an indicator that the individual may have memorized stolen test content.

Some IT certification exams also catch people who have memorized stolen test data by including "Trojan Horse" questions that deliberately include the wrong answer in the official answer keys. These questions don't count toward the candidate's overall score, but if the test taker answers a predetermined number of such questions with the incorrect answers listed in the answer key it's assumed that they used stolen information and the test is automatically invalidated, says Addicott.

Certification programs may also use different test designs in an attempt to thwart cheaters who have memorized test questions and answers. These include scrambling the order of questions on any given exam, randomizing the order of answers to multiple-choice questions, having a pool of questions from which to choose from for each test item and giving different candidates in the same test center entirely different versions of the test.

CompTIA and other certification organizations have also started to supplement or replace some of the standard multiple-choice test questions with adaptive and performance-based methodologies that are harder to compromise. With adaptive testing each successive question the user sees depends on whether or not he answered the previous one correctly. As soon as the test determines that the taker knows -- or doesn't know -- the content, the test ends. "It's a more refined manner of judging, but it also provides security," says Greenwood.

CompTIA is adding progressively more performance-based testing, which uses scenario-based questions that ask the user to perform specific actions in a simulated environment. Such questions are harder to memorize. "At that point it becomes easier just to study," says Kainrath.

And that, in a nutshell, is a key part of CompTIA's strategy. "We can't stop cheating, but we can make sure it takes a lot of time versus just studying."

Getting caught: A great way to kill a career

Wary of the damage that rampant cheating can have on an IT certification, like what some say happened in the 1990s (see sidebar, below), companies aren't just getting aggressive about catching cheats, they're clamping down by handing down more severe sanctions.

"We ban for life anyone who is caught cheating. They are not allowed to take any Microsoft exam ever again," says Grieve. And Microsoft, at its discretion, may also strip the candidate of any previously earned Microsoft IT certifications, she adds.

Devaluing a credential

As large numbers of people earned the Certified NetWare Engineer certification in the early 1990s, recalls Dave Meissner, chief operating officer at Kryterion, "there was concern about the quality of the professionals being certified. People could pass the CNE exam successfully purely by studying books," he says, which gave rise to the term "paper Certified NetWare Engineer." What's more, "there was a strong belief -- and perception is what matters -- that the test content was readily available, and the value of that CNE credential was diminished."

CompTIA is taking a harder line on cheating as well, "casting a wider net" by using data forensics in its investigations, says Kainrath. Today if you get caught cheating you won't get the certification and must wait a period of time, typically a year, before you can take the exam again. But CompTIA is considering changing that to a lifetime ban. "This year we'll roll out a harder policy," he says.

Poyiadgi says that he's seen cheaters lose their jobs in situations where employers sponsored the candidates. And if the person was selling test questions and answers, he or she may be prosecuted by law enforcement as well, he adds.

Kainrath marvels at the amount of time he says some people spend trying to cheat their way through IT certification exams. A certification like A+ serves only to validate the user's skills, he says, and if a cheater is hired or promoted based on false pretenses it hurts the cheater's career prospects as much as it does CompTIA's reputation. Ultimately, he says, "It's not doing them any good by faking it."

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7 best cergtification for 2013

1. Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA)

Early in January 2012, Microsoft reintroduced the MCSA and MCSE certifications. Though the acronym remained the same there were significant changes made to the certifications. The Microsoft Certified System Engineer is gone, replaced with the Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate. The major change associated with this certification is focus on the breadth and depth of the technologies. The new Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) credential focuses on the ability to design and build technology solutions. The previous Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator certifications focused on specific job roles.
Currently there are five MCSA certifications: Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008, Windows 8, Windows 7, and SQL Server 2012. Each of these MCSA’s require several exams, such as the Windows 8 MCSA which requires two (70-687 and 70-688) and the MCSA SQL 2012 requires three (70-461, 70-462, and 70-463). One thing to keep in mind is that an MCSA certification is required for the new MCSE certifications.

2. Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
This change in the emphasis of the certifications is especially apparent with the MCSE. As a holder of the new MCSE, you are expected to have a deep knowledge on a variety of technologies in addition to the primary one you have certified. The Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) certification focuses on the ability to design and build technology solutions, which may include integrating multiple technology products and span multiple versions of a single technology, whether on-premises or in the cloud. The previous Microsoft Certified System Engineer certifications focused on a specific job role. In order to earn your MCSE in most technologies, you must first earn an MCSA. For example, the MCSE: Messaging (Exchange 2013) requires that you earn your MCSA: Windows Server 2012 certification as well as pass the two required Exchange 2013 exams. The MCSA: Windows Server 2012 certification is required for six of the eight MCSE track certifications-so this certification will be in heavy demand as people who want to certify on the new technologies will also have to earn this certification as well. Currently there are eight MCSE certifications: Server Infrastructure, Desktop infrastructure, Private Cloud, Data Platform, Business Intelligence, Messaging, Communication, and SharePoint.
3. Cloud Certifications
To the Cloud – that is the mantra we hear these days. The increased use of cloud computing and storage by service providers has also increased the demand for IT professionals who can build (and secure) private cloud computing solutions using common technology platforms. Seems most of the major IT players have a Cloud solution to meet the needs of the smallest to some of the largest businesses out there. But which is the right “Cloud” certification? There are several certifications that germane to our discussion of cloud Certifications.
One of the more interesting cloud certifications is the one offered by CompTIA. The Cloud Essential certification from CompTIA is vendor-neutral. This certification was originally developed by ITpreneurs and the Cloud Credential Council. CloudSchool is another vendor-neutral certification entity dedicated “to excellence in the fields of cloud computing technology, architecture, security, governance and capacity”. Microsoft also has their MCSE: Private Cloud certification (one of their new MCSE’s-Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert). This certification demonstrates your expertise in managing and implementing Microsoft private cloud computing technologies using Windows Server and System Center technologies. VMware has five cloud certifications ranging from the VMware Certified Professional-Cloud (VCP-Cloud) to the VMware Certified Design Expert-Cloud (VCDX-Cloud).
4. CCIE Collaboration
The CCIE Collaboration is new from Cisco and is evolved from the ten-year old CCIE Voice certification. The CCIE Collaboration certification reflects advances in networked collaboration solutions which go beyond simple audio phone calls. Collaboration is unique in its potential to affect every workplace employee, business partner, and customer. No longer just a voice call or IM session, workplace collaboration now happens in real time within a variety of integrated applications. The new CCIE Collaboration certification will cover solutions for voice, video, IM, presence, and call centers. The CCIE Voice certification will be retired as of February 14, 2014. A current holder of the CCIE Voice designation will now be able to migrate to a CCIE Collaboration credential by taking the CCIE Collaboration written exam only.

5. CCNA Routing and Switching
Cisco Evolves Associate-Level Certifications, Redesigns CCNA to CCNA Routing and Switching Certification to Support Next-Generation Job Roles. The new CCNA Routing and Switching certification has been redesigned and updated with content to meet the demands of the changes of networking technology and business requirements. As more and varied devices and applications access the “the Internet of Everything” will soon wake up everything imaginable. As the network evolves and changes, becoming more sophisticated, the job roles of network engineers also continue to change.
6. CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP)
The new CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) certification is a vendor-neutral certification exam that validates competency in enterprise security; risk management; research and analysis; and integration of computing, communications, and business disciplines. While there aren’t any “official” pre-requisites, this certification is aimed at security professionals who have at least ten years of experience in IT administration with at least five years of hands-on technical security experience. It is expected that candidates for this exam have earned their Security+ certification (though not required). The CASP exam covers a broad range of material and if you are attempting this exam than you should have technical knowledge and skills to conceptualize, design, and engineer secure solutions across complex enterprise environments. You should also be able to apply critical thinking and judgment across a broad spectrum of security disciplines as well as propose and implement solutions that map to enterprise drivers.
7. Certified Ethical Hacker v8 (CEH v8)

EC-Council recently released the Certified Ethical Hacking (CEH) v8 certification. This new certification has been designed to provide invaluable training for security professionals and organizations. The CEH v8 certification is in heavy demand by organizations and governments (the CEH is required for some US Military and governmental security jobs). Much of this course is hands-on, using the same tools and techniques that those who may attack your networks would implement. In many cases, you will scan and hack your own systems in order to see the affects these have on a working system. What makes this a unique and valuable certification is the focus of the certification. EC-Council recently earned the ANSI 10024 – the first time that a US based accreditation body has performed and certified an entity outside North America.

http://www.computerdealernews.com/news/the-seven-hottest-tech-certifications/27225

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Last Call for CompTIA A+ 700 Series Exams

If you trained for the CompTIA A+ 701 and 702 exam objectives, but haven't yet actually taken the exams, you need to register soon with Pearson VUE because CompTIA will retire the 700 series exams (in English) on Aug. 31. All other language versions will retire Dec. 31.
After that, students will only be able to become CompTIA A+ certified by taking the 800 series exams, which cover new technologies and include performance-based questions. You can compare the differences in the exams by downloading the exam objectives.
"If you've been studying toward the 700 series, you'll want to hurry and take it before Aug. 31," said Carol Balkcom, CompTIA director of product management.
Anyone taking the CompTIA A+ 700 series certification exams before Aug. 31 should start prepping now, trainers say. New Horizons CLC – Great Lakes held its last classes for the CompTIA A+ 701 and the 702 exams in October, transitioning quickly into the 800 series in November. But because the company is also an official Pearson VUE testing center, Career Services Coordinator Sue Ann Law expects some self-study candidates will come in to take the 700 series exams.
Law's test-prep rule of thumb is that students need a minimum of one month to prepare for an exam. "Given that there are two exams (the 701 and 702), June would definitely be my cut off for starting to prepare," she said.
CompTIA's authorized training partners will be reaching out to former CompTIA A+ 700 series students—via emails and webinars, for example—to remind candidates of the Aug. 31 deadline.
At New Horizons of Austin, a division of CompTIA partner 5 Point Enterprises, account executives are working with corporate and government customers to make sure former students take the 700 series exams before Aug. 31. "If necessary, a mentor will work one on one, in person or virtually with a student if they are struggling in a particular area," said James Cox, vice president of sales. "We'll do everything we can, down to meeting every single student one-on-one to make sure they are prepared to take that exam on time."

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CompTIA Small Business Spotlight: Early Education, On-the-Job Training Key to Filling IT Talent Pipeline

Early classroom exposure to information technology (IT) and expanded apprentice and internship programs for people entering the job market can go a long way in keeping the country supplied with a deep reservoir of technology workers, according to CompTIA, the non-profit association for the IT industry.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130107/DC38135LOGO)

In conjunction with National Small Business Week June 17-21, CompTIA is spotlighting several of the issues affecting its small business members and offering solutions to address those challenges.

Like many technology companies, ASI System Integration, Inc., a New York City-based IT systems integration company, often finds itself challenged in finding enough workers with the right technical skills to keep pace with customer demand.

"The need is there, but the resources are not," said Angel Pineiro, senior vice president, services, for ASI. "We are feeling it, especially in trying to grow our business."

Pineiro related that ASI recently won a contract for a year-long technology migration project at multiple locations across the United States. The project requires upward of 100 technicians.

"If the project were only in the New York metro area it would be a piece of cake for us," he said. "The problem is that other U.S. cities and more rural areas lack access to workforce development and IT training resources.

ASI works with the Job Corps and Per Scholas to help meet its workforce needs.

"We also have an internal technical internship program to get new hires the experience they need," he added. "We team them up with an experienced engineer and technician and they will shadow this person for some time."

Pineiro and ASI are strong proponents of the wider use of apprentice and intern programs.

The longer term solution is to "bring technical education and experience to the public school system at an earlier age; maybe as early as elementary school and certainly high school," according to Pineiro.

"Technology is a career that's very diverse, but the only way the next generation is going to truly be aware of technology as a career path is to add it to the curriculum," he said. "Begin by educating the kids in elementary school. By high school they will be more aware of their career choices. We are in a different era today, but education has not kept up with the changes. We need to wake up."

Through its Public Advocacy group and its partnership with TechVoice, CompTIA supports the following actions to close the skills gap:

    An increased focus on STEM education at all levels.
    Stronger linkages between education, on-the-job training and work-based learning.
    Additional funding for training and, where relevant, certification of workers.
    Professionalization of the U.S. cybersecurity workforce.

Visit http://www.comptia.org/home.aspx or follow CompTIA at http://www.facebook.com/CompTIA and twitter.com/comptia.

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MyITstudy provides Microsoft,CompTIA,ITIL ,qualifications training

MyITstudy, which provides Microsoft qualifications training, CompTIA qualifications training, and ,foundation certification training, has realized that their students desire to take advanced-level courses inside the IT Service Management domain. To finish this latent desire, MyITstudy has introduced six ITIL intermediate courses with their industry leading ITIL foundation course. These fresh ITIL intermediate classes are:

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COMPTIA BRAIN DUMPS

220-601	A+ Essentials 2006
220-602	A+ IT Technician 2006
220-603	A+ Remote Support Technician Designation
220-604	A+ Depot Technician Designation
220-701	CompTIA A+ Essentials (2009)
220-702	CompTIA A+ Practical Application (2009)
220-801	CompTIA A+ Certification Exam
220-802	CompTIA A+ Certification Exam (220-802)
225-030	CDIA+ Certified Document Imaging Architech
BR0-001	CompTIA Bridge Exam- Security+
BR0-002	CompTIA Bridge Exam- Network+
CAS-001	CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner
CLO-001	CompTIA Cloud Essentials Exam
CN0-201	CompTIA CTP+ Certification Exam
CT0-101	Convergence+
EK0-002	e-Biz+
FC0-GR1	Strata Green IT
FC0-U41	CompTIA Strata IT Technology Practice Test
HIT-001	CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician Exam
HT0-201	CEA-CompTIA DHTI+
JK0-009	E2C/Jobs+ Server+
JK0-010	E2C/Jobs+ Security+ Certification
JK0-011	E2C/Jobs+ Linux+ Certification
JK0-012	Jobs+/E2C Network+ Certification
JK0-013	E2C/Jobs+ Project+
JK0-014	E2C/Jobs+ RFID+ Certification Exam
JK0-015	E2C/Security+ Exam
JK0-016	CompTIA Network+(2009 Edition) Exam
JK0-017	CompTIA E2C Project+ Certification Exam
JK0-018	CompTIA Security+ Certification Exam
JK0-301	E2C/Jobs+ A+ 2003 Linear Core Hardware Exam
JK0-302	E2C/Jobs+ A+ 2003 Linear OS Technologies Exam
JK0-601	CompTIA A+ Essentials Exam
JK0-602	CompTIA A+ 220-602 Exam (IT Technician designation pathway)
JK0-603	CompTIA JK0 220-604 Exam (Depot Technician designation pathway)
JK0-702	CompTIA E2C A+ Practical Application (2009 Edition) Exam
LX0-101	CompTIA Linux+ [Powered by LPI] Exam 1
LX0-102	CompTIA Linux+ [Powered by LPI] Exam 2
N10-003	Network+ 2007
N10-004	Network+ 2009
N10-005	CompTIA Network+ Certification Exam
PD0-001	CompTIA PDI+ Exam
PD1-001	CompTIA PDI+ Beta Exam
PK0-002	Project+
PK0-003	Project+
RF0-001	RFID+
SG0-001	CompTIA Storage+ Powered by SNIA
SG1-001	CompTIA Storage+ Powered by SNIA Beta Exam
SK0-002	Server+ 2004
SK0-003	CompTIA -Server+ (2010)
SK0-022	Server+ 2005
SY0-101	Security+ 2007
SY0-201	CompTIA Security+ (2008 Edition)
SY0-301	CompTIA Security+ 2011
TK0-201	CTT+ Certified Technical Trainer
TK0-250	Instructor+
XK0-002	Linux+

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