![](https://seccdn.libravatar.org/avatar/afa10e340aa19b6c8466b96ef6e268ff.jpg?s=120&d=mm&r=g)
I just got this email from LPI ... 30,000+ LPI Certifications. This is not OT as the LPI had came up in the thread more than once yesterday. Sorry to be top posting but bottom posting would not have worked in this case. Quoting: Linux Professional Institute Certifications Exceed 30,000 Worldwide (Toronto, Canada - February 9, 2006): The Linux Professional Institute (LPI), (http://www.lpi.org), the world's premier Linux certification organization announced that the number of LPI Certifications issued to Linux professionals had exceeded 30,000 worldwide and continues to grow. âThis milestone clearly demonstrates the growing demand for a solid base of highly skilled and certified Linux professionals. It is also further evidence of the value of a vendor-neutral Linux certification to the enterprise environment where such a concrete demonstration of skills and knowledge is a necessity," said Jim Lacey, President and CEO of the Linux Professional Institute. Mr. Lacey also noted that these numbers were reflective of LPI's global reputation: "Undoubtedly this achievement also demonstrates that our LPIC-1 is the industry entry-level Linux certification worldwide. More recently we have also noted a rapidly growing interest and uptake of our LPIC-2 and we expect impressive results from that certification level in the coming year," said Mr. Lacey. LPI reported that LPIC-1 certifications were at a total of just over 27,200 while LPIC-2 certifications numbered over 4,830 for a grand total of over 32,030 certifications issued to date. In November, LPI announced that it had delivered over 100,000 certification exams around the world. LPI offers a standardized, multi-national and highly respected program to certify levels of individual expertise in Linux. Exams are created using psychometric (the scientific study of testing) techniques to develop high quality exams with direct relevance to the skills being tested. LPI's certification program is delivered globally in seven different languages with the support of employers, vendors and trainers. Level One and Level Two certifications (LPIC-1 and LPIC-2) reflect the successful completion of two exams at each level. Daniel Guadalupe Huerta Santos of Leon, Mexico who was the 30,000th person to be certified by LPI and received his LPIC-1 also noted the importance of the LPI Certification: "I am responsible for IT security for the City of Leon in Mexico. The LPI Certification gives me a certain level of confidence in my Linux knowledge and also ensures my employers that I have the skills that will ensure our IT systems for the municipality and its citizens are secure. LPI's certification program challenges the Linux professional in the core areas of Linux and reflects expertise that crosses all versions of Linux. This vendor-neutral certification is important for security-related challenges--one wants to be sure that decisions are based upon sound skills and knowledge but are also not limited to one particular Linux distribution or brand." LPI will be making a public presentation to Daniel Guadalupe Huerta Santos as the 30,000th LPI Certified Professional at the upcoming LinuxWorld Conference and Expo in Mexico City on February 15, 2006. José Carlos Gouveia, who was appointed LPI Area Operations Manager for Latin America this last November was not surprised that the 30,000th Certified Professional came from Latin America: "The reputation and quality of the LPI Certification is known throughout Latin America. A vendor-neutral Linux certification which is recognized as a global standard is important to many IT professionals in the region. LPI has noted for some time a growing interest in their certification program throughout Latin America and I expect we will see great growth in the popularity and demand for LPI certification in this region in 2006." The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) is an internationally recognized, vendor-independent organization advocating and assisting the professional use of Linux, Open Source and Free Software, through the certification of Linux professionals. Established as a non-profit organization in 1999, LPI is community based and supported. LPIâs certification program is delivered worldwide in seven languages and is supported by an affiliate network spanning five continents. -- 30 -- About Linux Professional Institute: The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) develops professional certification for the Linux operating system, independent of software vendors or training providers. Established as an international non-profit organization in 1999 by the Linux community, LPI develops accessible, internationally-recognized certification programs which have earned the respect of vendors, employers and administrators. LPI's activities involve hundreds of volunteers and professionals throughout the world in many different capacities, and the group encourages active public involvement through mailing lists and its website at www.lpi.org. LPI's multi-level program of exams is administered globally through Pearson VUE and Prometric testing centers. LPI's major financial sponsors are Platinum Sponsors IBM, Linux Journal, Linux Magazine, Maxspeed, Novell, SGI, and TurboLinux as well as Gold Sponsors, Hewlett-Packard and IDG.