The Linux Foundation has announced that it will be offering two new certifications for engineers and administrators. The aim of the program is to provide a level of recognition for Linux professionals worldwide.

According to The Linux Foundation: “Demand for experienced Linux professionals continues to grow with this year’s Linux Jobs Report showing that managers are prioritizing Linux hires and paying more for this talent. Because Linux runs today’s global technology infrastructure, companies around the world are looking for more Linux professionals yet most hiring managers say that finding Linux talent is difficult,”

The two new certification programs are the Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) and Linux Foundation Certified Engineer (LFCE) awarded to participants who can demonstrate the requisite level of technical competence of the CentOS, openSUSE or Ubuntu distributions of Linux (you choose) via a performance-based online exam. The exams will require command line solutions to real problems rather than multi-choice or theory tests. Each of the LFCS and LFCE exams cost $300.

Jim Zemlin executive director at The Linux Foundation explained that “Our mission is to address the demand for Linux that the industry is currently experiencing. We are making our training program and Linux certification more accessible to users worldwide, since talent isn’t confined to one geography or one distribution”.

Visit the Linux Foundation for more information.