The 12-week certification programme is sponsored by the IBM Federal SOA Institute, and will begin September 12th through December 4th. A second series is scheduled for Spring 2008.

Two distinct course tracks are available: an entry level curriculum in order to become a certified SOA Associate, intended for those who are new to SOA concepts and would like to increase their overall understanding; and an advanced curriculum, to become a certified SOA Solution Designer, structured for senior IT professionals who require enhanced knowledge to deploy SOA capabilities within their organisation.

Certification modules cover issues such as the value of SOA, determining return on investment, bridging the gap between technical and business teams, basic architecture, establishing solutions using existing assets and new components, identifying barriers to adoption, preparing for governance issues, and effective deployment and management within an organisation.

To support participants, IBM is augmenting the program by offering a training and mentoring component conducted in-person or via remote conferencing, and a distinguished lecture series on issues such as introductory SOA issues, standards, and collaboration. These sessions will enable participants to gain valuable information from IT professionals proficient in the latest SOA practices in the Federal marketplace, as well as accelerate learning and provide a forum for networking with other professionals from both public and private sector organisations.

"The use of service oriented architectures has enormous potential in the Federal marketplace, allowing all types of organisations to simplify complex IT environments, drive down costs, eliminate duplicate systems, and improve information sharing", stated Anne K. Altman, Managing Director of IBM's U.S. Federal business. "IBM's new SOA certification programme is designed to empower Federal IT professionals so that they can take full advantage of the benefits within their organisations today."

SOA is a way of architecting an organisation's IT technology to more closely align with business goals. By doing so, organisations gain greater efficiencies, cost savings and enhanced flexibility to meet changing business needs. At the Federal level, SOA initiatives have taken on greater urgency as agencies face budget constraints, security concerns and aging IT systems.