LibreOffice Certification for Individuals – Get certified!
The Document Foundation has announced the intention to commence various certification programs for the LibreOffice office productivity suite. As you know, LibreOffice is one of the leading open-source office productivity suites and it is also free to download and use. LibreOffice is bundled with many major Linux implementations like Ubuntu, Linux Mint, etc. There are various modules in LibreOffice like Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base & Math.
The following certifications are planned for individuals:
- Certified developer
- Certified migration professional (MS Office to Libre Office)
- Certified professional trainer
- Certified L1 support professional
- Certified L2 support professional
You can get more details about the certification process in general and the above individual certifications from this page.
System Integrators, solution providers and resellers can now start looking at providing services/support based on LibreOffice. Though the software is free for end-users, System Integrators can still provide services like installation, migration, training and support. System Integrators can even display a ‘Libre Office certified’ badge if they employ or contract certain number of Libre Office certified professionals/ LibreOffice contributors, based on the total number of employees. Many vendors are already providing services for LibreOffice.
The certification process is to be overseen by a committee appointed by The Document Foundation and the training will be initially managed directly by the foundation. There is a modest fee applicable for these certifications which need to be renewed every 24 months. Further specifics on the certifications/process is to be discussed during the first meeting of the certification committee at LinuxTag (Berlin, May 23 – 26).
For end-users (enterprise/corporate customers), this will provide a good opportunity to migrate from proprietary office suites and implement open-source technologies duly supported by partners/System Integrators. Lack of support has been a factor preventing bigger companies making the move, yet. But with these developments, companies could rethink their enterprise office productivity suite strategy.