Certificate vs Certification

[dfrecore]

For the Cisco example: CCNA is a specific certification issued by Cisco, issued after you pass a specific exam(used to be 2 exams) which requires renewal after 3 years to stay current(for you to stay certified). If you don't renew it, you're no longer certified. Many colleges offer a series of courses that are supposed to train you up on Cisco technology, which will theoretically prepare you for the certification exam as well. If you complete the course or courses, the college may issue you a certificate for completing those courses. If you don't go on to take and pass the CCNA exam, you're not certified. Its possible to both have a certificate issued by the school and a certification issued by Cisco, but they are not the same thing. Cisco also has their own online training academy. If you complete a Cisco Academy course, you'll usually get a digital badge which is the equivalent of a certificate of completion, but again if you don't then take and pass the certification exam, you're not certified. It's also possible for a college to use Cisco Academy courseware for their classes, therefore making it possible for you to receive a certificate from the school and a digital badge from Cisco Academy and then if one then proceeds to take and pass the actual CCNA exam, they will also be certified.

Edit to add: it's also possible for a school program to require you to pass the actual CCNA exam in order to pass the school's certificate program, but completing course requirements and passing a specific certification exam(and meeting any other requirements) are still 2 discrete accomplishments.

Feel free to correct me if I've misunderstood anything.

That's a very good breakdown.

It's kind of like AP.  If you take the course, you get high school credit.  If you pass the exam, you get college credit.  You may opt not to take the course and still pass the exam; or you may take the course and not take the exam.  The course does not give you college credit, and the exam doesn't give you high school credit.  They are completely separate entities, with different uses.