PeopleCert is a global leader in certifications and exams, which offers specialists the opportunity to advance in their careers and implement the newest technologies in a business scenario. Its certifications focus on business transformation, IT service management and governance, project, programme & portfolio management, together with benefits & risk and change management, cybersecurity alongside resilience, and more.

PeopleCert Certification Overview

In a nutshell, the PeopleCert certification program includes the following categories, each of them having different designations:

• The category that focuses on IT service management and governance includes validations for the ITIL Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced levels, SDI Professional, COBIT5 Foundation, Advanced, and Intermediate thresholds, Lean IT Foundation, Intermediate, and Advanced versions, and TRIM Foundation certificates.
• The certification section focusing on projects, portfolio, and programme management includes the Prince 2 Foundation and Advanced certifications, together with Prince 2 Agile, MoP, MoV, MSP, and P3O Foundation as well as Advanced levels.
• The candidates who want to develop business transformation skills can access the AgileSHIFT Foundation certificate.
• The category that focuses on change, risk, and benefits management includes the M_o_R Foundation and Advanced certifications.
• The DevOps group offers the PeopleCert DevOps Advanced and Core levels of designations.
• The vendor’s certification program that focuses on SCRUM principles includes the PeopleCert SCRUM Core and Advanced designation levels.
• The individuals can enhance their skills in software testing and development with the help of the Quality Software Development Advanced and Foundation certificates.
• The cybersecurity and resilience section includes the RESILIA Foundation and Advanced levels of qualification.
• Candidates can consolidate their knowledge of Lean Six Sigma and obtain the Lean Six Sigma Foundation, Intermediate, or Advanced certificates.
• The PeopleCert professional certification program includes the PeopleCert Professional Valuers and PeopleCert Professional Certifications in Management Systems.
• Lastly, the computer skills section includes the ECDL Advanced, Base, and Standard endorsements.

Now that you know what types of certifications you can obtain with PeopleCert, let’s dive deeper into two of the most popular certifications offered by this vendor.

ITIL 2011 Foundation Certificate

The ITIL 2011 Foundation certification offers beginner-level knowledge of the most important concepts and terminology of ITIL. As a rule, the candidates interested in earning this validation want to understand the connections that can be formed between the processes they use and the lifecycle stages, together with their overall contribution to the service management practices. In particular, this certificate targets specialists who want to enhance their work quality when managing IT services. Besides, it is suitable for those candidates who work in an enterprise that already uses ITIL concepts and techniques. Therefore, it helps them understand their role better and meet the stakeholders' expectations. The ITIL 2011 Foundation designation can be obtained after passing one exam. In particular, it is a closed-book test that has a duration of 60 minutes. Plus, the examinees need to obtain 26 marks out of a total of 40 if they want to pass this test. To add more, they can take it in 19 different languages such as Chinese, Hungarian, Russian, Portuguese, Dutch, German, Korean, etc. Also, note that the English version of this certificate retired as of July 1st, 2021. Lastly, the registration for such a test can be done either through the Pearson VUE platform or via the Prometric site and paying for it $363 is a must for the US residents.

Skills Necessary for Obtaining ITIL 2011 Foundation

Applicants can be successful in the ITIL 2011 Foundation certification exam if they demonstrate that they developed the following skills:

• Explain and comprehend the service management concepts and understand how they can be implemented as a practice;
• Understand how the ITIL service lifecycle key terminology can be used in a business scenario and what type of the process can be integrated;
• Define the most important ITIL terminologies and explain how they contribute to service management architecture;
• Implement service management key models alongside principles and succeed in obtaining a balance between different concepts that contribute to service management performance;
• Discern how various service management processes improve the ITIL service lifecycle and explain its purposes and key objectives;
• Grasp the roles and responsibilities that different functions have in implementing service management concepts;
• Understand how the service automation tools contribute to the service management process performance.

MSP Foundation Certification

The MSP Foundation certificate focuses on beginning programme managers and those specialists who want to become skilled programme managers. Also, it targets project managers, business change managers, and other key roles involved in delivering, developing, and designing projects. For example, project assurance specialists or project board members will also have the opportunity to improve their skills with MSP Foundation validation. Besides, portfolio management employees and specialist programme staff are also part of the target audience for this certification. Usually, the MSP Foundation certificate can be obtained after passing one exam, which focuses on validating the candidates’ knowledge of implementing the MSP programme framework. In particular, the examinees need to pass a closed-book test which has a duration of 60 minutes, where the passing rate is 60%. Finally, the registration fee that you have to pay to participate in the actual evaluation is $363 for the USA, and once you earn the endorsement, you’ll become eligible for the MSP Practitioner test.

Topics Tested for MSP Foundation

You can obtain the passing score in the MSP Foundation certification exam if you demonstrate advanced skills in managing the following topics:

• Understanding how the most important concepts relate to the MSP architecture and its programmes;
• Consolidating knowledge of how the MSP principles align with the business priorities and underpin the MSP framework;
• Discerning how to manage the MSP themes and how you can apply them throughout the programme governance as well as plans;
• Explaining the MSP lifecycle processes and their purposes as well as understanding how they can be carried out throughout a program.

Career Prospects

Once you become an ITIL or MSP certified specialist, your career will change completely. These international designations offer you the opportunity to upgrade your skills and have improved your chances to get well-paid positions. For example, you can apply for the following roles:

• Senior Project Manager;
• Systems Engineer;
• Professional Application Designer.

According to the information provided by Payscale.com, a Senior Project Manager can receive an annual salary of approximately $104k. On the other hand, you can start your career as a Systems Engineer and earn a compensation of around $80k per year. Also, remember that you can improve it throughout the years by adding more certifications under your belt and becoming an expert in your domain.

Certification Path

If you’ve obtained the ITIL 2011 Foundation certificate, you can continue to improve your abilities in managing ITIL concepts and apply for the Intermediate and Advanced certification levels. Also, the candidates who obtained the MSP Foundation qualification can move forward to obtaining the MSP Practitioner certificate.