Certiport Partners with World Economic Forum to Upskill ASEAN Youth

Certification programs in ASEAN countries help youth adapt to technology advancements and obtain in-demand workforce skills

SALT LAKE CITY – October 28, 2019

Certiport, the leading provider of IT certification exams that accelerate academic and career opportunities for learners, today announced a partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF) on their flagship project in Southeast Asia, ASEAN Digital Skills Vision 2020.  Certiport is working in 10 countries in the region to provide hundreds of thousands of citizens with the skills they need to thrive in the digital economy through industry-recognized certification.

The WEF’s vision is to ensure that the ASEAN digital workforce is equipped for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.  A recent study shows that youth in the region have weak STEM skills and want to upskill to succeed in a changing job market.  Responding to the need to train workers in the face of technological change, the ongoing ASEAN Digital Skills Vision 2020 is assembling a coalition of organizations to train 20 million workers at ASEAN small businesses by 2020.

“Government policy and business practices need to catch up to what is happening on the ground,” said Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director and Head of the Centre for the New Economy and Society at the World Economic Forum. “Advances in technology will continue to impact labour markets into the future, and this requires ongoing education and skills training. Anything less than a systematic shift in our approach to education and skills risks leaving people behind.”

As part of the initiative, Certiport will deliver certification programs including Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Microsoft Office Specialist, Microsoft Technology Associate, Adobe Certified Associate, App Development with Swift, Autodesk Certified User, EC-Council Associate, Unity Certified User, IC3 Digital Literacy and QuickBooks Certified User.

“Our industry-recognized certifications can unlock the digital potential of the ASEAN region by helping youth validate key skills such as programming, entrepreneurship, word processing, digital design and much more,” said Ray Murray, Vice President and General Manager - IT, Pearson VUE. “With over 12,000 Certiport Authorized Testing Centers all over the world and partnerships with governments and schools alike, we are prepared to deliver large-scale certification programs that can transform the preparedness of ASEAN youth to seek job opportunities or further their technology education.”

Thus far 16 organizations have joined ASEAN Digital Skills Vision 2020: BigPay; Certiport, a Pearson VUE Business; Cisco; FPT Corporation; General Assembly; Golden Gate Ventures; Google; Grab; Lazada; Microsoft; Netflix; Plan International; Sea; thyssenkrupp; Tokopedia; and VNG Corporation.

About Certiport

Certiport is the leading provider of learning curriculum, practice tests, and performance-based IT certification exams that accelerate academic and career opportunities for learners. Certiport provides certification development, delivery, and program management services through an expansive network of more than 12,000 Certiport Authorized Testing Centers worldwide. More than 3 million Certiport exams are delivered in 26 languages across 148 countries each year throughout the academic, workforce, and corporate technology markets. Certiport is a Pearson VUE business, and is a part of the world’s leading learning company, Pearson. To learn more, go to certiport.com.

"Certiport" is a registered trademark of NCS Pearson, Inc. in the United States and other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Press Contact:

Allison Yrungaray
+1-626-841-1640
allison.yrungaray@pearson.com

Advances in technology will continue to impact labour markets into the future, and this requires ongoing education and skills training. Anything less than a systematic shift in our approach to education and skills risks leaving people behind.
Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director and Head of the Centre for the New Economy and Society at the World Economic Forum