You also have to consider what the consequences for failure should be. For example, Hale says, some companies tire those employees who can’t pass a certification test, and some deny promotions or prevent them from carrying out certain duties. “When the employment decisions are denial of a promotion, termination or not being allowed to carry out a task of role, those are high stakes, because you’re dealing with people’s livelihoods,” Hale says. “Will you remediate them or chloroform them?”

A key task in creating a valid certification program is job of role analysis, which is identifying what employees do of produce, what they have to know in order to do it, and under what conditions they do it. This step gets skipped a lot, Hale says, because everyone thinks they already know. They also don’t always talk to everyone they should when they’re trying to find out. “The mistake that people make on certification is that they only talk to exemplars of high performers,” she says. “They are important, but they’re not the universe. You also need to talk to those internal auditors, internal customers, external customers–because they will tell you what the person should be doing, not what the person is doing.”

Hale also counsels her clients to be sure they know what they mean when they say someone is certified. Does it mean that the person knows certain information? Or does it mean that he or she can perform certain tasks? This will dictate not only how certification is verified, but also what public promises you can make regarding your certified employees. “If the promise is that people will know, then you need a knowledge test,” she says. “If the promise is that people can do, under what circumstances can they do it?”

The Norfolk State academy is offering four semesters of the eight-semester program. Students successfully completing the four semesters will become Cisco certified network associates. Students completing all eight semesters of the program can become a Cisco certified network professional. University officials want to eventually offer all eight semesters of instruction in the school’s academy.

“The establishment of this program marks another major step for our School of Science and Technology into the technologically driven marketplace of the 21st century,” says Norfolk State’s president, Dr. Marie McDemmond.

Over the past three years, Cisco has opened academies in more than 5,200 institutions in all 50 states and 84 nations. Norfolk State is the first four-year institution in Virginia to house a Cisco Networking Academy.

“In addition to the classroom training, Cisco’s Networking Academy now helps students transition from the classroom to the real world. Networking Academy students can search an online database of employers that have partnered with Cisco to offer hands-on opportunities via internships, mentor programs …. “says Dr. Sandra DeLoatch, dean of the university’s School of Science and Technology. “This aspect of the program will open so many doors for our students.”

More than 2,500 newbies, mostly engineering grads, have gone through this process, called Cisco Choice, since its inception in 2006. Of these, 98% were still with the company after two years. That’s an astonishing retention rate, as studies show few Gen Yers last that long in their first jobs. And Cisco’s staff engagement levels are off the charts. “When you provide options aligned with a student’s interests and skills, you’re going to get more productivity and excitement than by allowing them to interview with one manager for one position,” says program head Monica Perez.

The matchmaking system, used for interns as well as permanent hires, also gives Cisco an advantage in recruiting. Ralph Mobley, career services director at Georgia Institute of Technology, says the program is a big reason why Cisco could hire more than 50 of its grads in three years. “Students really like that they’re going to get some input,” he says. “If they have two offers, that’s what might sway them.”

Cisco Choice participant James Reavis, 23, is a fan. Although only in his fifth week on the job–testing new features on Cisco’s TelePresence videoconferencing product–he is already seeing how connections forged with other departments during program interviews are invaluable. “Normally [new employees] just know what their department does and what their specific product is,” he says. “When we collaborate, I already know what the other department does.”

The Santa Clara University alum started with 95 other Cisco Choice participants in late June. After a week-long overview of the company and a week of presentations from managers at more than 30 business units, Reavis’ group spent a final week meeting with the managers and employees in each participant’s five favorite business units. Each employee then selected his or her top three managers and awaited placement. Reavis, like most new employees, got his top pick–managers are eager to accept the additional manpower because most of the training and salary costs come out of the corporate budget, not their own.

If employee engagement and retention aren’t proof enough of success, Perez says some competitors are even looking into developing programs modeled on Cisco’s. That doesn’t bother her a bit. After all, she says, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”