If you want to build your career to a top level and work with the big companies in Nigeria then you must know that having a professional certification in your field is as important as having the required skills and experience.
A professional certification serves as a validation for the skills that you have, and when you gain this certification from any of the renowned international certification bodies, companies are assured that you have the required expertise and skills to function properly in the roles that they need workers. Hence, it makes you stand out from the millions of job seekers in Nigeria and gives you a higher chance of securing a job.
If you are already working, getting an international professional certification from a proven certification body boosts the trust that the organization you work for has in you and this will make them entrust higher roles to your hands and also give you a higher pay than your uncertified colleagues.
In addition to that, if you have an international professional certification you can apply for and get jobs outside the country. These certifications are recognized all around the world and hence you can use them to gain jobs abroad as well.
So, getting an international professional certification should be at the peak of your to-do list if you are looking to build a lucrative career in Nigeria and work with big companies.
Here are the major international professional certifications that you can obtain in Nigeria if you are looking to build a worthwhile career in Nigeria:
• SAP Certifications
These certifications are issued by the renowned SAP software company to show that an individual has adequate knowledge and expertise about using their software modules to carry out specific operations.
SAP has some amazing software modules like Plant Maintenance(PM), Materials Management(MM), Human Capital Management(HCM), and Financial Accounting and Controlling (FICO) that top businesses and organizations in Nigeria and nations around the world are currently adopting to optimize their business operations and make them more seamless.
So, you can obtain any of the SAP certifications that match your field of interest and stand a good chance of being hired by any of the top companies in Nigeria to help them use the software module to make their business operations smooth and more productive.
• International HR Certifications
HR Officers and Professionals are in charge of screening, recruiting, onboarding, and managing employees and ensuring that they work in line with company management to meet their business needs. They are also responsible for ensuring that a company complies with employment laws and industry standards for employment.
And hence top companies always want to have the best hands working for them, they usually need an HR to identify and recruit the best fit for the job roles they need workers in and also manage their performances properly.
So, if you want to get into the HR industry, you will need to get international HR certifications such as aPHRi, SPHRi, PHRi, GPHR, SHRM-CP, and SHRM-SCP to stand a better chance of getting a job in the highly competitive field. And if you are already working in the industry, these certifications can boost your career prospects and income potential.
• Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Levels 1, 2, and 3 Certification
The Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Levels 1, 2, and 3 Certification program trains you on how to create and maintain a very safe and secure working environment that employees can work in confidently without the fear of getting injured, being involved in a workplace accident, and any health issues that might arise in the workplace. You will also be trained on how to ensure the public and the environment aren’t harmed due to the operations of the organization that you work for.
HSE professionals are usually hired by companies in industries that make use of high-risk machinery and materials such as the manufacturing, oil and gas, mining, construction, and transportation industries, amongst others to carry out their operations and productions to ensure they comply with health and safety regulations and standards and also keep their employees safe.
With this certification and the knowledge you will gain through its certification and training program, you can also take up job roles in the less-technical industries such as nursing, and also render health and social services.
So, being a certified HSE professional will make you a “hot cake” that is needed by organizations in diverse industries.
• Project Management Professional(PMP) Certification
If you are in the project management field or looking to get into it, a Project Management Professional(PMP) Certification is a must-have.
Not only does this certification open your doors to a lot of career opportunities and a higher earning potential, but because it is issued by the renowned globally renowned Project Management Institute (PMI), it is highly recognized and honored by employers in Nigeria and the world.
This certification serves as proof that you have all the skills, expertise, and abilities to properly lead projects to success and also ensure that any organization you work for adheres to the best project management practices and ethics.
And according to reports, top companies are likely to hire over 2.2 million project management professionals every year until at least 2027 so there are a lot of career opportunities you can be open to when you become a certified professional in the project management field.
• First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Training and Certification
To ensure their employees are safe at all times and get instant response in case of an accident or medical emergency, top organizations also employ the services of First Aid and CPR professionals.
So, if you can opt to undergo the First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification/training program and become a professional in these life saving practices.
This certification and training program will teach you the right steps you need to take when an emergency injury, incident, or illness happens. In this training, you will also be taught how to know how a person is suffering from cardiac arrest or breathing constriction and the techniques you can carry out to help the person breathe through artificial ventilation.
• Healthcare Assistant Caregiver Certification
You can also undergo a healthcare assistant caregiver certification course and become a globally certified caregiver.
This caregiving certification program equips you with all the skills and knowledge to manage, supervise, and take care of people who suffer from Dementia, Alzheimer’s, or any condition that will make them unable to care for themselves.
With this certification, you can work in hospitals, daycare centers, personal care homes, nursing homes, and personal residences. And hence the certification is offered by an international body, you can use it to work in and outside of Nigeria.
• ISO 45001 Auditor Certification
If you want to be an ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Auditor then this certification is for you. The training that you will gain from this certification program will enable you to carry out proper audits for organizations to enable them to reduce the risks of health and safety workplace hazards and accidents and make sure that their employees are safe from occupational accidents.
Top organizations usually need a good health and safety auditor who has great auditing skills to carry out internal and external audits like the Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) audit for them and help them meet specific safety management standards while ensuring their workers are well-protected.
• ISO 9001 Auditor Certification
There are certain quality standards that companies are meant to meet with their products right from their design down to their production to reach the requirements of both their customers and specific regulatory bodies. Hence, they need a professional and certified ISO 9001 Auditor to carry out proper audits and conformity assessments on all their products to ensure that they meet these requirements to avoid financial and regulatory penalties.
Thus, you can become an ISO 9001 Quality Management System Auditor and help top organizations in and outside Nigeria to audit their products and ensure they meet the appropriate standards and requirements. Professionals in the quality management field are currently in high demand so you can be open to a lot of career opportunities when you get this certification.
So, these are the international professional certifications that you can obtain to boost your career significantly and put you ahead of other job seekers in the jam-packed Nigerian job market. Choose the one that best suits the field you are in or want to get into, enroll for a course on it, follow the appropriate procedures, and get certified.
Bear in mind that the process of obtaining these certifications won’t be an easy one but when it gets difficult, draw strength from the numerous benefits that you will enjoy when you successfully get certified because believe me, the benefits of having an international professional certification outweigh the cost you need to pay, by far.