The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) and Canonical Ltd. jointly announced the development of a certification exam for the Ubuntu distribution. This certification exam will enable qualified candidates to demonstrate specific expertise in the professional use of Ubuntu. The certification exam will be launched at Johannesburg, South Africa, May 16 - 19, 2006.
"We have long considered LPIC-1 to be the entry-level professional certification for all Linux distributions. This collaborative initiative with Ubuntu clearly demonstrates how Linux software developers can leverage our existing distribution-neutral program to create professional certification programs for their own software packages," said Jim Lacey, President and CEO of the Linux Professional Institute. Mr. Lacey added that they were open to similar approaches from other distributions.
Jane Silber, a spokesperson for Canonical Ltd., the company which is the overall sponsor of Ubuntu, said that the certification was in response to extensive demand from both individuals and enterprises. She also recognized that LPI was a natural partner in the development of Ubuntu's certification program: "Ubuntu use in the enterprise is increasing, leading to an increasing demand from engineers and managers for a certification which proves an individual's Ubuntu skills. LPI's entry-level LPIC-1 program is the right basis for our own professional certification, and their global delivery structure will ensure the availability of our program to candidates around the world."
The Ubuntu certification will consist of a single exam on top of LPI's existing 101 and 102 exams. This will give candidates the advantage of an existing global standard, LPIC-1, plus the "Ubuntu Certified Professional" status. The exam is being developed by LPI's product development team and Ubuntu community members from around the globe. The exam is expected to be completed in early May with the first paper exams being available in mid-May to qualified LPIC-1 candidates who are attending LinuxWorld Johannesburg. The computer-based testing version will be made available later in June through Thomson Prometric and Pearson VUE testing centres around the world. Initial exam price has been set at $100 US.
