Scott Kelby, president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, (NAPP) announced over the weekend a new Photoshop certification program for NAPP members. Kelby also announced a new Hall of Fame for Photoshop professionals.
Kelby said during his address to the assembled members at PhotoshopWorld that the NAPP has received a lot of feedback of the past year asking for a certification program for its members.
“People want something that’s going to really separate them — something that will help them keep the job they have, get a new job and advance their careers.”
Initially the program will consist of two categories: a Certified Print Expert and a Certified Web Expert. The NAPP will look at rolling out additional programs in the future based on feedback from members.
There are three parts of the program: The certification test, awareness, and an online database of certified experts.
Just because you are a Photoshop professional, don’t think that this test is going to be easy for you. During the address Kelby asked the first two rows in the audience of approximately 2000 attendees to raise their hands — this is the percentage of people you can expect to pass the test the first time around, he said.
“For this program to work correctly, this is going to have to be a very tough test,” said Kelby. “This test will have to determine whether you are actually an expert in Photoshop.”
The second part of the program is industry awareness of the certification. Kelby said this is one of the most important parts of the program — companies need to know to ask prospective employees if they are certified experts. The NAPP will provide on online database of all certified experts. This will allow employers to search your credentials to ensure they are getting a certified Photoshop professional.
The third and final component of the program are the benefits. These benefits aren’t only for the employers who are able to seek out certified professionals, but also for the people who are certified. Times have changed in the print and web industries; companies are not hiring just anyone who knows how to use Photoshop, they are looking for the absolute best. Once certified you will be provided with documentation from NAPP to present to prospective employers to show you are certified.
Since the NAPP is a worldwide organization with members in Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and North America they needed a testing facility as far reaching as their membership. The NAPP chose the Prometrix testing centers, available in 141 countries with 3500 locations. Practice tests will also be available online to help prospective applicants prepare for what appears to be a grueling test.
If you would like more information on the test or the certification program, please contact the National Association of Photoshop Professionals directly.
The NAPP also announced the Photoshop Hall of Fame over the weekend to recognize professionals in the Photoshop industry.
“The mission of the Hall of Fame is to honor and recognize those people who have made a contribution to business, education, and the development of Adobe Photoshop,” said Kelby.
NAPP members were asked to submit names of the people they felt were most deserving of the distinction of being inducted in the Hall of Fame. Members voted and the list was narrowed to 27 names to be considered for induction on September 6, 2001 in Tampa Florida.
Many names on the list will be familiar to Mac users including Deke McCelland, Kai Krause, Bruce Fraser, Chuck Geschke, Lynda Weinman, John Warnock and Scott Kelby.
Only three people from the 27 names submitted will be inducted to the Hall of Fame this year.