In Europe the European Computer Driving Licence for Computer Aided Design (ECDL CAD ) has been created by ECDL Foundation (www.ecdl.com) and offers Candidates the opportunity to certify their core 2D CAD skills to an international standard.
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In Europe the European Computer Driving Licence for Computer Aided Design (ECDL CAD ) has been created by ECDL Foundation (www.ecdl.com) and offers Candidates the opportunity to certify their core 2D CAD skills to an international standard.
Unless its changed over the past couple of years the ECDL is absolutly worthless. I saw some sample exam papers a while back and to say they are basic is an understatement.
Autodesk do run a certification programme in the US with more resellers ofering this service in the UK. I think this year there will be a push as at an Event in London in March time has been set aside to big it up.
Check here for the details but it is an exam with different levels.
It might be worth talking to your local reseller to get more information.
I went through Autodesk to get certified (http://autodesk.starttest.com or www.autodesk.com/certification). Not sure how recognized it is but it's got to be worth something.
The question to ask about certification IS NOT "What value will this have for me?" as this is a common mistake. A better question is "What value will this have to my employer?" as they will be the ones paying for your knowledge and value. That's not to say certification can't have personal worth, it certainly can, but we often forget that a certificate often means more to US than it does to others that don't realize the effort you put into it. College degrees get more credibility because we DO have some concept toward the level of effort put into them. Being Autodesk certified (and many of the more "minor" certifications) just means you know how to use software but doesn't guarantee the ability to follow standards, be creative, be accurate at your profession, or even make a good employee. I've seen CAD Gurus that couldn't detail a thing and "I can't check my email, give me a pencil" individuals that could detail anything but not draw a line in AutoCAD. So, it's simply a "+" (Plus) on the resume and often times an indicator to yourself where you need to improve more than a sign of anything to your employer. I (personally) would EXPECT CAD knowledge and expertise from you, a certification would mean very little except for exposure to the concepts. The same would go for other certifications in other fields... I would need more proof of experience, best case it would get you in the door for an interview.
I believe it is more common for companies outside of the U.S. to use certification to establish a benchmark of skills because there is not as much of a workforce or long-term history of CAD workers to compare too. I could be wrong, since I've never worked overseas, but in my experience in the States, employers here merely want to know that you can do the job and will most likely test you to confirm! I've never worked for a firm or met a prospective employer that knew what certification was or asked me if I was certified. The same goes for the Drafter certification available thru www.adda.org. In 20+ years of drafting, I never got enough confirmation on my end to convince me that either option was worth the cost or trouble since no one knew what it was! That's not to say that there isn't ANY value, but as was mentioned previously, it's up to the user and what he or she hopes to accomplish by getting certified. Personally I'm considering taking the test while at AU this year, and am signed up for a class to help prepare me. If I do in fact go forward, it will be for my own personal achievement, but getting the logo for my business card would be a nice touch though