May 23, 2005 - EXIN announces first module for a new clustered ITIL Practitioner certificate: Practitioner’s Certificate in IT Service Management Release and Control (IPRC).

IPRC
The international ITIL Certification Management Board (ICMB) has officially approved the new Certificate IT Service Management Practitioner Release and Control (IPRC) as part of the international ITIL certification program. The ICMB endorsed a joint proposal of EXIN and ISEB for the examination specifications and the accreditation requirements for the new Practitioner examination based on the ITIL processes Change Management, Release Management and Configuration Management. The content of the new module was acknowledged to be a major step forward by representatives of OGC, ISEB, and itSMF.

The ICMB welcomed the announcement of a joint initiative from EXIN and ISEB to launch another clustered Practitioner Certificate later this year, the ITIL Practitioner Support and Restore (IPSR), based on the ITIL guidance on Service Desk, Incident Management and Problem Management. EXIN and ISEB informed the Management Board that as with the ITIL Practitioner Release and Control, ISEB will support EXIN's initiative to develop the Practitioner Support and Restore.

Practical assignments
The ICMB endorses the view of the examination institutes that the ITIL Practitioner certificates must not only reflect a certain level of knowledge but also need to give evidence of practical skills and competencies. The accreditation process for organizations providing training for the new Practitioner certificate ensures that Practitioner training will be dedicated for at least 60 percent to Practical Assignments. With the introduction of Practical Assignments a new standard has been set in the training of IT professionals in the field of IT Service Management.

EXIN's pioneering role
International discussion with representatives of the IT Industry, IT training organizations and other experts in IT Service Management have convinced EXIN of the viability of the concept of a small series of clustered Practitioners examinations. These clustered Practitioners examinations will in the future replace the single process oriented Practitioner examinations. Apart from the clustering, the discussions showed a need for a new training and certification concept for the Practitioner certificates to reflect the practice oriented character of the Practitioner’s role. The new Practitioner concept also opens the possibility to involve an experienced expert in the Practitioner training in the role of a coach.