Half a million. That’s how many that have certified their knowledge through SOLIDWORKS certification program. The number was confirmed on February 8, 2021 – which is a milestone for the software developer Dassault Systèmes and their partners.
“One of the best parts of our job is getting emails from people letting us know how having one of our certifications helped them”, says Mike Puckett, Senior Manager for SOLIDWORKS certification program.
It has been 23 years since SOLIDWORKS started to offer SOLIDWORKS Professional CSWP Certification to their customers. Today, 500 000 users have been certified – a historic number for Dassault’s SOLIDWORKS and their partners.
The importance of verified knowledge
Spun out of a need to be able to confirm user’s knowledge as the software took hold in more and more computers, the certification became something of an exclusive brand in the SOLIDWORKS community since the start in 1998. A few years later, in 2006, one could see the impact that certifications had on companies and decided to launch the SOLIDWORKS Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate, CSWA, for students. “We quickly understood that providing a similar certification to students around the world could help them greatly once they finished their degree and began to pursue a career in industry”.
For everyone, everywhere
To make certifications accessible for everyone and to reduce costs that were relatively high for a certification test, the program was launched online. This made the program and tests available globally, around the clock. Several exams were offered, and an educational program was launched. “We now had the foundation to grow as much as we wanted”.
For 2021 and onwards, the plan is to reach one million certified users, including tests that are now available for the cloud-based platform 3DEXPERIENCE Works Portfolio Roles. “We have already passed 5 000 certifications for the 3DEXPERIENCE Works Portfolio Roles that we have created and released exams for, and the growth rate for these exams are outpacing the growth of our legacy desktop exams back when they were new”, adds Mike Puckett.

Become one of a million
Today, certifications are offered from basic to expert level in several different areas, to ensure that innovative companies have the knowledge they need to achieve their design ambitions. We at PLM Group are experts in guiding and helping you on how you can verify your knowledge in the best way, with the right certifications. To be as prepared as possible before a certification, you and your colleagues can book an training with us here. There are several different certifications to choose from, so you can find what suits you and your company the best.
If you have an active service agreement, two certifications a year is included, one in the spring and one in the autumn. Click here for more information about certifications and how to get certified or contact us and we will help you further.