The demand for professionals in information technology (IT) is high and the competition for jobs is intense. Individuals, experienced or new to the profession, need to know what skills make them attractive to employers. Employers look for ways to distinguish employees and prospective employees that have the solid foundation of skills needed for effective performance.

The Oracle Certified Associate (OCA) Program helps the IT industry make these distinctions by establishing a standard of competence in specific job roles. An Oracle Certification is a valuable, industry-recognized credential that signifies a proven level of knowledge and ability.

Reasons for OCA certification include career advancement, personal improvement, skills enhancement, and higher salaries. According to Certification Magazine, Oracle certified professionals earned 28% more money than the average IT certified professional. In addition, Computer Reseller News, cites that Oracle certified DBAs on average are paid 21% more than non-certified DBAs.

Benefits to the Technical Professional

The Oracle Certified Professional Program can give you a distinct advantage. An OCA Certification demonstrates that you have solid understanding of a job role and Oracle products used in that role. Being an Oracle Certified Professional can help raise your visibility and increase access to the industry’s most challenging opportunities.

OCA's have testified to the value of Oracle Certification

• 97% said they have benefited from certification
• 89% said they gained more confidence in their Oracle expertise after becoming certified
• 96% would recommend the program to a professional colleague*

Benefits to the IT Employer

The Oracle Certified Associate Program is also valuable to hiring managers who want to distinguish among candidates for critical IT positions. For companies that send employees through annual IT training, certification ensures a return on the training investment by validating the knowledge and understanding gained at training sessions. Companies can also combine certification with an employee development program to enhance employee loyalty and performance on the job.

Hiring certified professionals has a direct impact on a company’s bottom line, as these conclusions from a research study by International Data Corporation** suggest:

• Certified Professionals handled 40% more support calls per person, per day than uncertified staff
• Companies that advocated certification reported 49% less down-time than those that did not
• For the majority of companies surveyed, the savings from increased effectiveness paid the costs of certification in less than nine months

Other accelerated training providers rely heavily on lecture and independent self-testing and study.

Effective technical instruction must be highly varied and interactive to keep attention levels high, promote camaraderie and teamwork between the students and instructor, and solidify knowledge through hands-on learning.

Firebrand Training provides instruction to meet every learning need:

• Intensive group instruction
• One-on-one instruction attention
• Hands-on labs
• Lab partner and group exercises
• Question and answer drills
• Independent study

This information has been provided as a helpful tool for candidates considering training. Courses that include certification come with a certification guarantee. Firebrand Training provides a guarantee of obtaining certification at the training centre, but does not make any guarantees about personal successes or benefits of obtaining certification. Benefits of certification determined through studies do not guarantee any particular personal successes.

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