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Although most engineers can claim experience with MCAD software, their skill levels and expertise vary widely. As Keven McRae, president of Advanced Design, Inc., Cambridge, Ontario, puts it, “While users in the community sometimes claim to have ten years' experience with Pro/ENGINEER, they may have worked with only one product at one company, which means they really have 200 hours with Pro/ENGINEER. They've just done the same thing 1,000 times over.”
That’s why PTC has made it a priority to develop industry benchmarks for Pro/ENGINEER® users. And those of you attending the 2003 PTC/USER World Event in Orlando, Florida will have chance to find out how you measure up by taking the PTC Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire Level 1 certification exam while you’re at the conference.
Pro/ENGINEER-certified professionals will demonstrate a clearly defined skill set. But even more important, the certification exams will identify end-user strengths and weaknesses, so that you can continue to build your skills through training and professional development—and, at the same time, enhance your value in the marketplace.
With a Pro/ENGINEER certificate in hand, you’ll have proof of your skill level to share with your manager, colleagues and peers, as well as prospective employers. If you're working for an independent design or manufacturing house, your team of Pro/ENGINEER-certified professionals will have a distinct advantage over non-certified competitors when it comes to winning contracts. And if you’re a manufacturer who outsources design work, you’ll find certification useful for evaluating companies that are bidding on your projects.
The new leadership team within PTC’s services unit is committed to enhancing the educational and support services and certification programs offered to customers. Joining PTC veterans who have been creating Pro/ENGINEER classes for over 10 years are:
- Chris Newell, senior vice president of PTC's Customer Education and Knowledge division. Chris was chief knowledge officer for the consulting firm Viant, as well as founder of the Lotus Institute and co-founder of the IBM Institute for Knowledge Management.
- Carolyn Lightner, PTC's vice president of education products. Carolyn recently led worldwide training and certification for Allaire Corporation and Macromedia, Inc.
- Niamh O'Byrne leads PTC's certification program. She headed up the successful worldwide launch of certification exams for Internet development tools including ColdFusion, Dreamweaver and Macromedia Flash.
The new certification program is different in scale, scope and intent than anything PTC has done in the past. MCAD experts from PTC, along with independent consultants, developed the PTC Certified Professional Program exam. The Donath Group, a consulting firm specializing in developing accurate and fair testing programs, statistically validated the exam to ensure that it appropriately gauges participants’ abilities.
Attendees of the 2003 PTC/USER World Event are invited to take the Level 1 certification exam at a special price of $100 (USD). The minimum requirement for Pro/ENGINEER experience is two years. The exam tests your skills in creating parts, assemblies, and sheet metal geometry; modifying parts and assemblies; and creating production drawings.
Although the exam will be scheduled several times over the three days of the conference, space is limited. To reserve your place, we recommend registering ahead of time at www.donathgroup.com/ptc.
After the 2003 PTC/USER World Event, the Level 1 exam will be administered at 3,500 Authorized Prometric Testing Centers worldwide. The price will be $200 (USD). To sign up, please visit at www.Prometric.com.
Right now, PTC is preparing a Level 2 exam to be offered in the fall of 2003. The Level 3 exam will be available in 2004, along with exams for additional PTC products, including Pro/INTRALINK® and Mechanica.
Although initially presented only in English, the exam will be translated into other languages. The anticipated release time is late summer 2003. For more information, please visit the PTC Certified Professional Program page of the PTC website at ptc.com/go/certification. 
Niamh O'Byrne leads the new PTC certification program. She can be reached via e-mail at nobyrne@ptc.com.
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