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Subject:Re: Certification: Ernest and Scribbler From:Stuart Burnfield <slb -at- westnet -dot- com -dot- au> To:Techwr-l <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:39:01 +0800 (WST)
You could get the impression from this thread that STC is some vast, shadowy, all-powerful organisation capable on imposing its will on hapless employers, HR departments and non-members.
Personally I don't think certification will or can work, but I think it's a reasonable goal for the STC to pursue. I wish them well.
If it does work, it will be because employers learn over time to trust the certificate. That is, in the absence of samples, relevant experience or references, they believe the certificate is a reasonably reliable indication that the candidate is basically competent.
If employers *don't* eventually come to believe "STC certificate => probably competent", this certification effort will wither and die. STC doesn't have Jedi mind powers or roaming goon squads to force employers to honour its certification scheme even if they think it's worthless.
Here's how I think it will probably play out:
- most employers won't have heard of STC anyway
- employers who have heard of the STC certificate won't know what it means
- employers who do understand what the STC certificate is for will reserve their judgment till they have some experience of whether certified (certificated? certifiable?) TWs are solid.
Similarly, TWs won't make the effort to become certified if employers don't value it. Maybe graduates and junior writers would find it useful in the absence of a work history.
Stuart
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