CompTIA RFID+ Certification gains additional industry support
Five organizations with leadership positions in the radio frequency identification (RFID) industry have joined the effort by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) to develop a vendor-neutral professional certification of RFID skills, the association announced today.
Organizations contributing their expertise to the development of the CompTIA RFID+™ certification include:
- American RFID Solutions, a certified RFID training institute with classes in the Americas and the Asia Pacific region;
- DHL Express (USA), Inc., the world's leading global express delivery and logistics company;
- International Paper's Smart Packaging Business, a consulting and system integration business experienced in providing RFID-enabled solutions that streamline and improve supply chain performance;
- Printronix, Inc., the leading manufacturer of integrated enterprise printing solutions for the supply chain; and
- RFID Focus, a media and RFID resource company dedicated to the promotion of RFID technology and its applications through multiple channels; and
Recent research commissioned by CompTIA and conducted by Frost & Sullivan, a global leader in strategic growth consulting, revealed that RFID implementations are poised to grow over the next year. The survey of more than 500 companies in North America found that just over 50 percent of them have either completed RFID implementations or plan to do so within the next 12 months. However, a worldwide lack of skilled integrators who have the facilities, education and expertise to design, deploy and manage RFID networks has the potential to hamper the adoption RFID in all countries and industries.
The RFID certification now in development through CompTIA is intended to address the skills shortage by establishing an industry accepted credential that validates an RFID technician's knowledge and skills in the areas of installation, maintenance, repair, and upkeep of hardware and software functionality of RFID products.
"The breadth of expertise of the organizations announced today helps ensure that the certification of RFID skills will address the hardware, software and business process needs required to prepare our industry to deliver RFID solutions," said David Sommer, vice president, electronic commerce, CompTIA.
CompTIA RFID+ certification is expected to be available in late 2005 or early 2006.