Atlassian University: news on certification renewal
Back in May, during Team ’24, Atlassian surprised us by announcing that all of its courses would be completely free. This is a huge advantage to improve accessibility to training, with quality courses that help you get the best results at your fingertips. But it doesn’t stop there: Atlassian has just announced a new certification renewal program, focused on continuous learning and participation in the Atlassian community. Keep reading if you want to see all the news 👇
What is the new renewal program?
All Atlassian certifications are active for two years. After this period, certification holders (also known as candidates) are granted an additional 90-day period to renew their certification.
Well, by August 2024, candidates will be able to use Continuing Education (CE) units to renew their certifications. How to obtain these units? Simple:
- By completing courses at Atlassian University
- By attending a Live Learning Program webinar. Don’t worry if you can’t connect live; watching the recording is also good for earning CE units.
- Attending Atlassian events, whether it’s a local ACE or a global event. Remember that in October you have a unique opportunity to do so 🤭.
This new renewal alternative is an incredible commitment to continuing education and community involvement. In addition, candidates have the flexibility to create renewal pathways that are truly valuable to their learning process. In this way, there are renewal options to suit all tastes and circumstances. If you want to renew your certification through Continuing Education, you can do that; if you want to renew by taking the exam again, you can do that too.
In addition, not only are Atlassian’s courses completely free, but so is the Live Learning program and attendance at local ACE’s. This means that the renewal of a certification can be completed at no cost!
Okay, but… How does Continuous Learning work?
In the previous section we saw what activities we can perform to earn Continuing Education units. After completing those activities, either by completing a course or attending an event, candidates will enter information about the activity in the CertMetrics portal. In this portal we will be able to view a dashboard that shows the progress of the renewal process: This feature will be implemented as of August 2024.
Another advantage of this new method is that the same activity can be used to renew more than one certification. For example, if you have two certifications, completing a single course can be used to renew both 🤯
Continuing education (CE) units for ACA and ACP certifications
Each type of certification will require different CE unit totals for renewal:
- ACA – Atlassian Certified Associate: These are entry-level exams covering the use of Atlassian solutions. ACAs require 50 credit units to renew.
- ACP – Atlassian Certified Professional: These are exams that are explicitly for administrators. ACPs require 100 credit units to renew.
A plus is that the CE units you earn can be applied to both ACA and ACP renewals. Imagine you complete an activity and earn 10 CE units. Well, those same 10 units will apply to renew both types of certifications. No matter how many certifications you need to renew, the CE units you earn will add up to renew all of them.
Updated certifications
With these new changes, the platform has updated its certification and accreditation structure to provide more specific training in line with the current needs of users and administrators of its tools. Below, we detail the key points.
✅Main current ACP certifications.
These are the most comprehensive and recognized certifications, aimed at professionals who want to demonstrate in-depth knowledge and advanced skills in Atlassian tools.
- ACP-620: Jira Cloud Administration
- ACP-120: Jira Service Management Administration
- ACP-420: Managing Jira Service Projects
❌Withdrawn ACP Certifications.
The following withdrawn certifications are no longer eligible for renewal:
- ACP-200 ACP-200 Atlassian ACP-CA Atlassian Certified Confluence Administrator for Data Centers and Servers.
- ACP-300 ACP-JSW Atlassian certified in agile development with Jira Software.
- ACP-400 ACP-JSD Certified Jira Service Desk Administrator by Atlassian
- ACP-500 ACP-SA Atlassian Certified Systems Administrator ACP-500 ACP-SA Atlassian Certified System Administrator
- ACP-600 ACP-JPA Atlassian Certified Jira Project Manager for Data Centers and Servers
ACP-120, ACP-620 and ACP-420 certifications remain valid and recognized. Atlassian University has updated the content and training paths to better align with current needs. If you already have a previous certification, we recommend that you keep up to date with the refresher courses offered by Atlassian to stay on top of the latest features and best practices.
How can I stay up to date?
- Periodically review new content, materials and publications that Atlassian makes available on the platform.
- Sign up for refresher courses or webinars offered by Atlassian University to maintain your certifications.
- The Community and the knowledge that is generated in it is one of the great advantages of Atlassian. Join forums and participate in events to exchange experiences and keep up to date with the latest news and best practices.
How do you choose your training path?
Choosing the right training path depends on your professional goals, the role you play in your team and the Atlassian tools you use most. Here’s a little guide to help you choose:
If you are a Jira Administrator:
- Beginner to Intermediate: Start with ACP-620 to gain fundamental project management skills in Jira.
- Advanced: Then you can advance to ACP-120 Jira Service Management Administration to specialize in service management.
If you specialize in Service Management:
- Beginner to Intermediate: ACP-120 Jira Service Management Administration certification is essential.
- Advanced: Complement with ACP-420 Managing Jira Service Projects for advanced understanding.
To sum up
Atlassian University’s certification landscape has evolved. We now have a more customized and relevant training process for all needs, whether you are a user or an administrator. The introduction of this new feature is the perfect closure to the learning cycle. You have the opportunity to train for free, apply your knowledge on a daily basis and share it with the community. This generates a constant value chain: sharing and consuming knowledge, as well as interacting with the rest of the community members, serves as a boost for your own professional career.
Generating value and driving the work process through knowledge is our specialty. All our Atlassian courses are current and updated, and we are more than ready for those changes that will come with the month of August. Whether you prefer to take advantage of the summer to start now, or if you prefer to get organized for September, write to us and we’ll talk 🌞
