257,900
ACCA members, plus 530,100 future members, across 180 countries.
ACCA Integrated Report 2025 ↗
Do you have excellence?Join Trainora’s team of certified Pearson test administrators.Apply with your CV @ rise@cert-apart.org→
Welcome.
Let’s cert you apart.
02
Discover
CERT-APART
CERT-APART is an online certification preparation (cert-prep) platform for globally recognized professional certifications.
It brings three things together: (1) affordable, self-paced online cert-prep learning content from Pearson and other world-class learning content providers; (2) optional facilitator support; and (3) an international testing centre (the Trainora Pearson VUE Test Centre) for sitting globally recognised professional certification exams, proving your globally recognised credentials.
The platform rests on one idea: talent should be recognisable. A certificate tells employers anywhere, in a language they already trust, that you can do the job.
Who makes it happen
- 01TrainoraIndustry partner that runs Pearson Test Centres.
- 02gumption exThe educational consulting brand and architect behind CERT-APART.
- 03The Trainora Pearson VUE Test CentreWhere recognised certification exams are sat.
- 04Facilitators & expertsTrainers, academics and practitioners who teach and assess.
- 05Learners & professionalsStudents, graduates, teachers and working people ready to move up.
- 07Employers & industryThe organisations that hire, promote and recognise certified talent.
How the program works
- OrientLearn how certification works and find the pathway that suits you.
- TrainHands-on training with experienced facilitators, tied to real workplace tasks.
- TestSit your exam at the Trainora Pearson VUE Test Centre.
- CertifyPass your certification exams, get certified by the respective professional body and go global with your credentials.
- DistinguishConnect with alumni, mentors and employers as you keep growing.
The world of global professional certifications
A professional certification is proof, from an independent body, that you meet a set standard. A degree shows what you studied. A certification shows what you can do.
You earn one by passing a standardised assessment, and most must be renewed, which keeps your skills current. Here is where the idea came from, and who runs it today.
A short history
- 1854The Institute of Accountants and Actuaries in Glasgow forms, one of the first professional bodies. Its members call themselves chartered accountants.
- 1880Chartered accountants in England and Wales receive a Royal Charter (ICAEW).
- 1896New York creates the Certified Public Accountant title. The first CPA exam is held that December.
- 1969The Project Management Institute is founded in Pennsylvania.
- 1993CompTIA launches A+, a vendor-neutral IT credential.
- 1998Cisco introduces CCNA, and vendor certifications become the language of IT hiring.
- TodayExams are taken in test centres or online, in more than 180 countries, by Pearson VUE.
Who certifies the world
Accounting & Finance
- ACCAACCA Qualification
- ICAEWACA
- AICPA & CIMACPA, CGMA
- CFA InstituteCFA
- CPA AustraliaCPA
Project & Process
- PMIPMP, CAPM, PMI-ACP
- PeopleCert / AXELOSPRINCE2, ITIL
- Scrum AllianceCSM, CSPO
- ASQSix Sigma Belts
IT, Cloud & Security
- CompTIAA+, Network+, Security+
- CiscoCCNA, CCNP
- MicrosoftAzure, Microsoft 365, Power Platform
- AWSCloud Practitioner, Solutions Architect
- Google CloudCloud Digital Leader, Associate Cloud Engineer
- (ISC)²CISSP, CC
- ISACACISA, CISM
People, Supply Chain & Language
- CIPDLevels 3 to 7 in HR
- SHRMSHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP
- CIPSProcurement & Supply
- PearsonPTE Academic and English tests
Statistics
The numbers behind certification.
Figures are as published by each body or study, with a link to the source. Certification data is not reported in one standard way worldwide, so some regions have more to show than others.
01Global
200,000+
CFA charterholders worldwide, in more than 160 countries and territories.
CFA Institute ↗~21 million
certification and licensure exams delivered every year by Pearson VUE, in 180+ countries.
Pearson VUE ↗1,420,000+
active AWS Certifications, held by 1.05 million certified individuals (January 2025, as reported).
AWS ↗2.5 million+
certifications awarded by CompTIA since it launched A+ in 1993.
CompTIA ↗02Africa
4.9 million
online job vacancies analysed across Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda. Nearly half asked for at least one digital skill.
World Bank, Digital Skills for Africa (2025) ↗<0.6%
of African job postings mention AI skills, against 1 to 2% in the US and Europe. The gap is an opening.
World Bank, Digital Skills for Africa (2025) ↗318,000
ICT jobs in South Africa in 2024, with a 27.2% vacancy rate. About 35% of vacancies are junior roles.
Decoding ICT Demand 2025, via ITWeb ↗03West Africa
9 million
jobs in Ghana could require digital skills by 2030 (projection), a training market worth about $4 billion.
IFC / World Bank, as reported ↗22.5%
youth unemployment in Ghana for ages 15 to 35, and 32% for ages 15 to 24 (as reported).
Ghana Statistical Service ↗135,000+
fellows trained so far by Nigeria's 3 Million Technical Talent programme, which aims for 3 million.
3MTT / NITDA ↗04The Americas
1,076,358
unique credentials on offer in the United States (2022). 656,505 of them come from non-academic providers such as certification bodies.
Credential Engine ↗56%
of the world's CFA charterholders are in the Americas, the largest regional share (as reported).
CFA Institute ↗05Europe
10.45 million
people employed as ICT specialists in the EU in 2025, which is 5.0% of everyone employed.
Eurostat ↗20 million
ICT specialists the EU wants by 2030, about double today's workforce.
EU Digital Decade / Eurostat ↗60%
of EU adults had at least basic digital skills in 2025, against an 80% target for 2030.
Eurostat ↗06Asia
~6 million
people expected in India's tech workforce by FY26.
NASSCOM Strategic Review 2026 ↗600,000+
PMP holders in China, the largest national share of that credential (third-party analysis of PMI data).
KnowledgeHut analysis ↗07Australia
176,327
members worldwide of CPA Australia, one of the world's largest accounting bodies.
CPA Australia ↗~50,000
technology professionals represented by the Australian Computer Society.
Australian Computer Society ↗08Ghana
22.1%
gross tertiary school enrollment in Ghana (2023) — real progress, and real room for more people to reach a recognised qualification.
World Bank ↗310
accredited tertiary institutions in Ghana (2023), from universities to technical and vocational colleges.
Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, as reported ↗76.5%
adult literacy rate in Ghana, up from 64.5% in 2017 — a fast-moving base for further certification and training.
World Bank ↗03The value,
The value,
your value
Certification is proof you can be trusted to deliver.
Your skills carry a passport.
Certifications from recognised bodies are understood by employers in more than 180 countries, so your skills travel with you.
Learn what employers are already hiring for.
Job data across Africa shows demand for data analysis, cloud, cybersecurity, agile methods, SQL and programming. Certification points your training at exactly that.
Be the one they shortlist.
When many candidates hold the same degree, a certification is a clear, verifiable difference that shortens the hiring decision.
Stay current, not just qualified.
Most credentials must be renewed, so your skills and your CV keep pace as technology and standards change.
Voices
Hear it from people who did it: their words, their stories, in their own voices.
Testimonials
Watch stories of people who have been CERT-APART.
Video testimonials
In her own words Mrs Nsakie
Speeches
Talks from our partners will be published here.