IEEE Wireless Communication Engineering Technologies (WCET) Certification Recommended Study Track of DoceoTech courses Overview What Is Certification? Certification is a voluntary process by which individuals are assessed against predetermined standards for knowledge/skills/competencies and granted a time-limited credential. Certification normally requires assessment, including testing, and an evaluation of education and/or experience. Certified individuals are usually issued a certificate attesting that they have met the standards of the credentialing organization and are entitled to make the public aware of their credentialed status, usually through the use of acronyms (e.g., WCP – Wireless Communication Professional) after their names. This certification differs from an assessment-based certificate program in that the IEEE Wireless Communication Engineering Technologies Certification includes a work experience component. In contrast, an assessment-based certificate program is a relatively short, non-degree granting program that provides instruction and training to aid individuals in acquiring knowledge/skills/competencies and designates that individuals have passed an end-of-program assessment derived from the learning/course objectives. Although assessment may be an integral part of a certificate program, the primary purpose of such a program is to provide instruction and training. Why Is Certification Desirable? Certification sets those with the credential apart from—or above—those without it. There are a number of advantages to seeking certification. Certification becomes a public recognition of professional achievement, both within and outside the profession. For many individuals, achieving certification becomes a personal professional goal, a way to test one’s knowledge and to measure it against one’s peers. Others see certification as an aid to career advancement. The IEEE WCET Certification Program Global communication is the defining political and economic force in the world today. It requires new ways of thinking and responding. For engineering professionals, recognizing and understanding this phenomenon is fast becoming a job requirement. To address the worldwide wireless industry’s growing and ever-evolving need for qualified communication professionals who can demonstrate practical problem-solving skills in real-world situations, the IEEE Communications Society (IEEE ComSoc) has designed the IEEE WCET certification program. Individuals who achieve this certification will be recognized as having the required knowledge, skill, and ability to meet wireless challenges in various industry, business, corporate, and organizational settings. DoceoTech courses are an excellent source of training that will improve your score on the WCET exam. DoceoTech is pleased to have worked with the WCET program prior to the launch of the inaugural WCET application and testing cycle, matching its educational programs to the WCET’s testable learning objectives. This document suggests the best way to use DoceoTech courses to prepare for the WCET exam. DoceoTech Information DoceoTech is the leading training services provider for the broadband wireless industry. As authors of the WiMAX Forum Certified Training program, DoceoTech has trained hundreds of engineers and prepared them for the successful completion of wireless certification exams. DoceoTech has also created Wi-Fi Mesh certification tracks, courses and tests for the VARs who re-sell Motorola, Cisco and Tropos Networks mesh products. DoceoTech offers both knowledge-based and certification-skills-based WiMAX and broadband wireless training for engineers, network designers, implementers and operators. DoceoTech adds value to its clients’ operations by certifying that they have the skills to efficiently design and operate customer-satisfying products and networks, which results in increased revenues and reduced costs. DoceoTech adds efficiency to an organization’s training functions by:   •   Providing expert course development and certification testing, for a first-time-satisfactory learning experience, avoiding the costs of multiple iterations of review and re-development   • Hosting learning solutions at our Learning Management System, saving the cost of IT administration • Outsourcing a Learning Administration function, where all customers may register and track training on the DoceoTech internal database systems, saving clients from the administrative hassle of learning administration   • Coordinating a global team of broadband wireless experts and partners, allowing efficient distribution of training around the world.   DoceoTech is a certified training partner for Alvarion, Aperto, Ericsson, and Tropos Networks, and delivers Cisco Authorized Training in partnership with Fast Lane Consulting. Suggested WCET Study Track The WCET program is wide-ranging. Candidates will be tested in seven areas, as described on page 9 of the WCET Candidate’s Handbook. A passing score of <500> is required, on a scale of <200 to 800>: Area Percent of total exam Topic Area 1 18-22% RF Engineering, Propagation, and Antennas Area 2 18-22% Wireless Access Technologies Area 3 18-22% Network and Service Architecture Area 4 11-15% Network Management and Security Area 5 6-8% Facilities Infrastructure Area 6 6-8% Agreements, Standards, Policy, and Regulations Area 7 8-12% Fundamental Knowledge There is no single course anywhere in the industry that covers all of these topics at a level sufficient to pass the WCET exam. A typical Communications and Networking concentration in a college EE curriculum would not even cover all of these topics. The WCET handbook lists 30 reference books as recommended reading for preparation of the exam. Alternatively, DoceoTech suggests an algorithm that will help you prepare in a more efficient manner. DoceoTech recommends that you assess your skills in each of the seven technical Areas tabulated above. We recommend that you find your one or two areas of relative strengths and one or two areas of relative weakness. If you have been practicing in the industry as required for the certification, you probably will score highly in each area of relative strength. Those topics will give you a few hundred points toward the 500-point passing score. What you may need to pass the exam is a few hundred points of improved score, in the areas where you are currently less strong. Therefore, DoceoTech recommends the following courses or suggested area of reading, to help you improve your score in the areas of relative weakness. Area Percent of total exam Topic Suggested DoceoTech Course or other preparation Area 1 18-22% RF Engineering, Propagation, and Antennas “WiMAX Forum RF Network Engineer™ certification boot camp” Area 2 18-22% Wireless Access Technologies “4G Wireless Technologies” Area 3 18-22% Network and Service Architecture “WiMAX Forum Core Network Engineer™ certification boot camp” Area 4 11-15% Network Management and Security “WiMAX Forum Security Professional™ certification boot camp” Area 5 6-8% Facilities Infrastructure DC Power System Design for Telecommunications, W. D. Reeve, Wiley-IEEE Press, 2006. Area 6 6-8% Agreements, Standards, Policy, and Regulations “Telecoms Mini-MBA – Technology Focus” Area 7 8-12% Fundamental Knowledge Any introductory texts on Electrical Engineering and Engineering Management We feel that each of the above-listed courses for areas 1, 2, 3, or 4 can improve your score on the WCET exam by 100 points, if those are areas of your relative weaknesses today. The courses or references for areas 5, 6, and 7 can improve your score by 30-50 points each, if those are currently areas of relative weakness. Please follow the hyperlinks on the tabulated course titles to learn more about these courses. For more information on DoceoTech courses, contact Ron Laney at ronl@doceotech.com