Standards: Professional Certifications
Align training programs to professional certification requirements and exam objectives.
When to Use
- Creating certification prep courses
- Corporate training programs
- Professional development courses
- Bootcamps and training providers
- Continuing education
Major Certification Bodies
IT Certifications
CompTIA:
- A+ (Hardware/OS)
- Network+
- Security+
- Linux+, Cloud+, PenTest+
Cloud Providers:
- AWS: Solutions Architect, Developer, SysOps, Specialty certs
- Azure: Administrator, Developer, Solutions Architect, Specialty
- Google Cloud: Associate, Professional certs
Networking:
- Cisco: CCNA, CCNP, CCIE
- Juniper: JNCIA, JNCIS, JNCIE
Security:
- CISSP (ISC²)
- CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker)
- CISM, CISA (ISACA)
Development:
- Oracle Java certifications
- Microsoft developer certs
- Red Hat certifications
Project Management
PMI (Project Management Institute):
- PMP (Project Management Professional)
- CAPM (Certified Associate)
- PMI-ACP (Agile)
- PgMP (Program Management)
Agile/Scrum:
- Scrum.org: PSM, PSPO
- Scrum Alliance: CSM, CSPO
- SAFe certifications
Business/Finance
Financial Services:
- CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst)
- CFP (Certified Financial Planner)
- Series 7, 63, 65 (FINRA)
- CPA (Certified Public Accountant)
Business Analysis:
- CBAP, CCBA (IIBA)
- PMI-PBA
Healthcare
Medical:
- ACLS, BLS, PALS (American Heart Association)
- Nursing certifications (ANCC)
- Medical specialty boards
Health IT:
- CAHIMS, CPHIMS (HIMSS)
Teaching
K-12 Teaching:
- State teaching licenses
- NBPTS (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards)
- Praxis exams
Higher Education:
- Discipline-specific certifications
Manufacturing/Quality
Lean/Six Sigma:
- Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt
- Lean certifications
Quality:
- ASQ (American Society for Quality) certs
Certification Mapping Process
1. Exam Blueprint Analysis
Components:
- Domains/categories
- Weightings (% of exam)
- Objectives/tasks
- Knowledge statements
2. Content Coverage Mapping
Create Matrix:
- Certification objective
- Course module/lesson
- Coverage depth
- Assessment alignment
3. Practice Exam Alignment
Question Banks:
- Map questions to objectives
- Ensure coverage of all domains
- Match difficulty and format
- Include performance-based questions
4. Gap Analysis
Identify:
- Uncovered objectives
- Under-covered domains
- Missing prerequisite knowledge
Example: AWS Solutions Architect Associate
Exam Domains:
- Design Resilient Architectures (30%)
- Design High-Performing Architectures (28%)
- Design Secure Applications and Architectures (24%)
- Design Cost-Optimized Architectures (18%)
Objectives per Domain: 3-5 detailed objectives
Mapping:
- Module → Domain
- Lab → Objective
- Practice question → Specific task
CLI Interface
# Map to certification
/standards.professional-certifications --training "aws-course/" --cert "AWS-SAA-C03"
# Coverage analysis
/standards.professional-certifications --content "pmp-prep/" --cert "PMI-PMP" --gap-analysis
# Multiple certifications
/standards.professional-certifications --course "cloud-fundamentals/" --certs "AWS-CLF,Azure-AZ900,GCP-ACE" --crosswalk
# Practice exam alignment
/standards.professional-certifications --questions "practice-exams/" --cert "CompTIA-Security-Plus" --validate-coverageOutput
- Certification objectives coverage map
- Domain weightings and coverage
- Gap analysis with recommendations
- Practice exam alignment report
- Study plan based on exam blueprint
Composition
Input from: /curriculum.design, /curriculum.develop-content, /curriculum.develop-items Works with: /standards.gap-analysis, /standards.coverage-validator Output to: Certification-aligned training programs
Exit Codes
- 0: Certification mapping complete
- 1: Certification not recognized
- 2: Exam blueprint not available
- 3: Coverage gaps too large