NWCET Career Clusters: IT Skills and Job Roles
CIW certifications map to the Information Technology "Career Clusters" defined by the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. These Career Clusters, formerly managed by the National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies (NWCET), group IT skills and knowledge by the job roles most common in today's workplace. These groupings help guide students and workers alike in pursuing desired educational and professional opportunities.
Each of the tables below represents a Career Cluster that corresponds to the CIW certifications that best validate the necessary skills for a particular job role.
WEB DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION CAREER CLUSTER
Primary IT Skills |
Job Roles and Titles |
CIW Certifications |
Designing Web site architecture; modeling site map applications; selecting tools; creating or adapting content; writing supporting code; developing and implementing usability and accessibility testing; facilitating move to production system; updating content; integrating customer feedback; performing application maintenance; recommending application/site improvements; documenting application/site changes; defining and managing development standards; evaluating Web technologies and standards. |
Web Designer Web Author Web Architect Web Page Developer Web Producer Web Site Developer Web Specialist Webmaster |
Professional Level: CIW Associate Design Specialist CIW Site Designer CIW E-Commerce Designer
Master Level: Master CIW Designer |
|
Designing Web site layout; selecting media types and delivery platforms; creating storyboards and mapping projects; creating prototypes; producing or creating content elements; substantiating make-or-buy decisions; implementing functional and user-interface design criteria. |
Media Designer Creative Director Art Director Graphic Designer Desktop Designer Marketing Professional PR Professional |
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Assembling and maintaining JavaTM-based Web applications; writing application control logic and display logic; using Java-related business services; exposing application components using Web services; using advanced Java development tools to perform basic Java programming. |
Web Developer |
Professional Level: CIW Web Developer |
|
One individual performing all Web site creation and maintenance, and all networking for a small enterprise. |
Small-enterprise Network Engineer and/or Webmaster Administrator for a Small Business |
Master Level: Master CIW Web Site Manager |
NETWORK DESIGN AND ADMINISTRATION CAREER CLUSTER
Primary IT Skills |
Job Roles and Titles |
CIW Certifications |
|
Defining network architecture; managing and tuning corporate infrastructure; monitoring Web, FTP, news and mail servers; configuring and deploying e-business solutions servers; monitoring and analyzing network performance; designing, managing and troubleshooting enterprise TCP/IP networks. |
LAN/WAN Administrator Network Administrator Network Analyst Network Manager Network Specialist Network Technician Network Engineer Network Architect Systems Administrator Systems Manager Systems Engineer Information Systems Administrator Information Technology Engineer Intranet Administrator Internetworking Engineer |
Professional Level: CIW Server Administrator CIW Internetworking Professional CIW Security Professional
Master Level: Master CIW Administrator |
|
Implementing security policies; identifying security threats; developing countermeasures using firewall systems and attack-recognition technologies; managing the deployment of security solutions. |
Firewall Administrator Network Security Analyst Network Security Manager Security Administrator Security Analyst IT Security Officer |
Professional Level: CIW Security Professional CIW Security Analyst
Master Level: Master CIW Administrator |
DATABASE DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION CAREER CLUSTER
Primary IT Skills |
Job Roles and Titles |
CIW Certifications |
|
Designing, implementing and maintaining database schemas; designing and developing database client applications and components; performing database administration and maintenance. |
Data Management Associate Data Analyst Database Analyst Database Developer Database Administrator |
Professional Level: CIW Database Specialist
Master Level: Master CIW Enterprise Developer |
DIGITAL MEDIA CAREER CLUSTER
Primary IT Skills |
Job Roles and Titles |
CIW Certifications |
|
Determining media types and delivery platforms; developing basic designs and storyboards; mapping projects; identifying and incorporating reusable components; conducting usability and functionality testing. |
Producer Production Assistant Graphic Designer Designer Media Specialist Media/Instructional Designer Multimedia Developer Web Designer Web Producer Web Specialist |
Professional Level: CIW Associate Design Specialist CIW Site Designer CIW E-Commerce Designer
Master Level: Master CIW Designer |
TECHNICAL WRITING CAREER CLUSTER
Primary IT Skills |
Job Roles and Titles |
CIW Certifications |
|
Developing content; designing and laying out documents; applying style and tone standards to content; creating information flow; ensuring appropriate level of detail in content; creating or approving appropriate visual aids; selecting and synthesizing pertinent information to meet users needs; developing feedback/validation vehicles; editing content for readability; testing and validating content for usability. |
Technical Writer Technical Editor Navigation/Content Engineer Electronic Publications Specialist Technical Publications Manager |
Entry Level: CIW Associate
Professional Level: CIW Site Designer CIW E-Commerce Designer
Master Level: Master CIW Designer |
PROGRAMMING AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING CAREER CLUSTER
Primary IT Skills |
Job Roles and Titles |
CIW Certifications |
|
Implementing applications using component technology; creating interactive Web pages using client-side and server-side Web applications; accessing relational database systems from Web applications; creating parameters for environment variables. |
Application Programmer Application Developer Client/Server Developer Internet Application Developer |
Professional Level: CIW Application Developer
Master Level: Master CIW Enterprise Developer |
|
Developing n-tier database and legacy connectivity solutions for Web applications using Java, Java APIs, Java Database Connectivity solutions, middleware tools and distributed object models. |
Client/Server Developer Java Developer Middleware Programmer Programmer Programmer Analyst |
Professional Level: CIW Java Programmer (jCert) CIW Object-Oriented Analysis and Design CIW Enterprise Specialist
Master Level: Master CIW Enterprise Developer |
NON-IT CAREERS
Primary IT Skills |
Job Roles and Titles |
CIW Certifications |
|
Managing customer accounts; making and closing sales; providing or managing business development; providing customer service; managing projects, products or programs. |
Salesperson Accounts Manager Business Developer Advertising Manager Channels Manager Program Manager Customer Service Manager |
Entry Level: CIW Associate |
|
Managing business and staff at the executive level. |
Technical Director Vice President (Online, Interactive/E-Commerce) Director or Vice President of Sales/Marketing |
Entry Level: CIW Associate
Professional Level: CIW Site Designer CIW E-Commerce Designer
Master Level: Master CIW Designer |
