CTP Certification Program
Today, many companies have mandated that their employees and other business partners
must be CTP certified to work on specific voice and data applications.
Therefore, a new set of skills is required to sell, install and support convergence
technologies. IT Professionals who sell, install, support, and service the new communications
server applications need new skills to stay competitive. Convergence Technologies
Professional (CTP) certification was created to validate the industry-required skills
necessary to fill in-demand convergence job roles. The CTP certification exam validates
core knowledge of convergence industry standards and protocols, infrastructure,
signaling, basic telephony, Voice over IP (VoIP), topology convergence, and the
skills required to perform jobs related to these technologies. The CTP credential
is attained by passing a high-stakes, computer-based proctored exam consisting of
65 questions.
The CTP certification assists those who want to remain current or advance their
career in the voice, data or convergence industries, including channel partner sales
professionals, technical representatives, advanced technical engineers, and application
sales engineers.
- The Need For Convergence Certification
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- Who Should Receive Training?
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- Value of CTP Certification
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- Competencies You Will Achieve
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The Need for Convergence Certification
The convergence of three technologies — voice, video and data — into a single
network is a major development in computer and communications technology. Companies
need complete solutions and there is a shortage of personnel qualified to sell and
support convergence products.
Manufacturers and their channel partners all need a way to educate their employees
and customers about convergence technologies. Industry-common skills and applications
of convergence technologies are vital to the success of sales professionals and
support technicians. They need to know vendor-specific equipment and applications,
as well as how these applications work with other software and equipment available
in the marketplace. That is why vendor-neutral training and certification such as
CTP is an essential foundation for vendor-specific training.
Supporting the enterprise customer is one of the goals to achieving success in the
communications industry. An educated industry — from the manufacturer to the network
service provider to the channel partner — furthers the goal. In an effort to help
the industry attain the goal, TIA offers several vendor-neutral convergence technologies
credentialing programs for all segments of the telecommunications industry to validate
the industry-common terms and skills needed to apply and implement convergence solutions.
CTP fills the industry's need to conserve valuable training resources by offering
industry-standards credentialing programs to reduce redundant training.
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Who Should Receive Training?
The target audience for CTP certification is anyone interested in pursuing or advancing
an information or communications technology career. CTP provides the skills and
knowledge to prepare individuals for specific job roles within the convergence technologies
industry. CTP prepares individuals for the following job roles:
- Technical Sales and Technical Representatives,
- Enterprise IT professionals that support voice and data applications,
- Implementation and Application Sales Professionals, and
- Sales Engineers
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Value of CTP Certification
Obtaining an industry-recognized certification validates an individual's competence
in a set of skills or a job role. Certification enhances an individual's career
by demonstrating to employers and customers one's readiness to perform required
job skills.
CTP certification is a unique credential that helps to address the current shortage
of professionals skilled in convergence technologies, by ensuring that individuals
are proficient in the industry-established skills necessary for meeting industry
needs. Individuals can pursue important new job opportunities and companies can
differentiate themselves to customers by using only certified personnel to sell,
install and support convergence technologies solutions.
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Competencies You Will Achieve
- Implementing products and services in accordance with industry standards.
- Confirming compliance with current industry standards.
- Verifying interoperability.
Individuals who complete the CTP exam and become CTP certified will have demonstrated
core competency in the following data networking, telephony networking and convergence
technology areas:
Industry standards and protocols
- Implement products and services in accordance with industry standards
- Confirm compliance with current industry standards.
- Verify interoperability.
Infrastructure
- Implement products and services in accordance with industry standards.
- Confirm compliance with current industry standards.
- Verify interoperability.
IP Protocols
- Recognize and interpret an IP addressing plan.
- Explain the importance of IP routing and routing protocols.
- Implement IP addressing plans.
- Verify IP configuration.
Telephony Concepts and Fundamentals
- Recognize the components of circuit-switched networks.
- Describe the components of digital-signal hierarchy.
- Provision digital and analog signaling types.
Voice-Over Convergence
- Describe basic requirements for integrating voice and data into a converged IP network.
- Identify the components of Quality of Service (QoS).
- Establish Voice-over IP (VoIP) requirements.
Topology Convergence
- Identify the challenges of integrating circuit-switched and packet-switched networks.
- Identify the functions of gateways and gatekeepers.
Troubleshooting
- Implement basic troubleshooting practices.
- Identify the appropriate tools to use in a given situation.
- Determine when to escalate problematic situations.
- Build confidence between manufacturers and end users.
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