CompTIA: Education Guaranteed
Dave Sommer of CompTIA explains the shallow pool of skilled RFID employees, its effect on the industry, and what CompTIA is offering to get people RFID + Certified.
Does the industry still feel there is a lack of employees skilled in the installation, maintenance, and support of RFID technology?
Yes. In a March 2007 survey by CompTIA, 69 percent of the technology solution providers queried said there is not a sufficient "pool of talent" from which to draw RFID-skilled workers. That's down slightly from the past two years (75 percent in 2006, and 80 percent in 2005). But the lack of RFID-skilled workers continues to hold back deployment of the technology: 68 percent of the organizations surveyed by CompTIA said the lack of RFID talent will impact the adoption of the technology.
With the slower-than-expected rate of adoption that the industry has experienced over the past 18 months, how much of an issue is this right now?
I believe the percentages in the pool of talent to hire from would be even higher if the RFID adoption was fully in place. What was anticipated a couple of years ago in terms of the adoption of RFID did not quite materialize. Though there is still a lack of individuals to hire, it hasn't been as severe as it would have otherwise been. If adoption was proceeding more quickly, the lack would be even worse.
What sort of challenges does the industry face right now?
Our survey shows that training/education is one of the top four challenges that solution providers are finding with RFID. The others are gaining compliance, implementation, and hiring. So, two of the top four challenges, according to our membership, are hiring and training/education.
How has your RFID + Certification program been received by the industry?
We're seeing very good reception in the industry. We now have quite a number of commercial training companies as well as academic institutions that are training individuals for RFID + Certification, and therefore we are seeing good take-up in terms of taking the exam itself.
Has participation met your expectations?
Our experience is mirroring what the RFID industry in general is seeing. The participation in RFID, in general, was not as quick as many in the industry anticipated it would be, and that has carried over to our Certification as well. We had some greater expectations last year; this year, we adjusted our expectations because of where we see the industry headed, and we're meeting those expectations.
How would you describe the demographic of people who take part in the RFID + Certification programs?
It's a combination of several different groups. In some cases, it's people who are employed at specific companies that are in the process of getting RFID implementation. In some cases it's solution providers, VARS, other software service companies sending individuals to get trained to provide services to end-user companies. And in other cases, it's people who have not really entered the work environment yet and are trying to add a skill to their resume.
With one year under your belt, do you see the need for any revision or enhancements to the RFID+ Certification program?
We continually monitor that. The cornerstone committee that we created is still in place. We meet with them on a quarterly basis and assess where the test is versus where the industry is. We haven't yet started a revision process, but we're continually evaluating.
How much background education do RFID professionals have coming into the program?
It is a wide range. In some cases we have people who have already implemented RFID solutions and are fairly knowledgeable in the technology and its capabilities. In other cases, people come in and attempt to take the exam without any practical knowledge – most of these struggle because of the lack of background. The recommendation in terms of the RFID + Certification itself is to have six months to two years of experience with RFID or associated technologies. In many cases, we have very qualified individuals that come to the program. We don't publicize pass/fail rates, but anecdotally, success leans heavily on an individual's background knowledge.
Dave Sommer is the Vice President of e-Business and Software Solutions at CompTIA. Contact CompTIA at www.comptia.org/contact.
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