As members of our Global Leadership Team, Matthew and Ray work closely with our global clients to ensure their testing programmes achieve their full potential. Read on to learn why we continue to invest in our expansive test centre network to help our clients grow.
Q. How does our test centre network help test owners maintain quality and high standards in the assessment industry?
Ray: Our test centre network offers the flexibility to adapt to the needs and standards of our clients and candidates both locally and globally. It gives candidates all around the world the opportunity to take the same test and gain the same credential regardless of country of origin, essentially opening up global employability opportunities to many.
Matthew: I agree. Our network of test centres contributes to certifying more people across a common set of education standards and benchmarks. When candidates take certification exams at our test centres, it raises the quality of a range of professions, from healthcare and IT to accountancy and law. And when the standards of these industries are maintained, our communities are protected.
Q. What were some of the big milestones for our test centres in 2019?
Ray: In 2019, our global test centres delivered our largest number of exams yet — 16.6 million! We managed to further extend our reach by welcoming 1,200 new test centres globally, which increases convenience, coverage, and flexibility for our candidates. This growth also provides our clients with extra reach, which translates into increased volume and growth of the programme.
Matthew: I think one of the most important aspects of our continued drive to expand our test centre network has been to help our clients’ assessment programmes grow. The test centre expansion highlights the importance both our clients and their candidates place on the value of certification.
Q. The launch of OnVUE in March 2019 was an exciting development for our business. What have been the highlights so far?
Matthew: Since launching our next-generation online proctoring solution, we’re seeing increased numbers of candidates wanting to certify at a time and place that suits them. By combining live monitoring with AI, we’ve also heard that our clients feel confident that their exam content is protected.
Ray: The highlight of OnVUE thus far has been the incredibly high adoption from the IT market. Other sector clients are following suit rapidly, too. As the largest and most trusted testing company in the world, our stakeholders and our clients expect us to deliver the best online testing experience, just like we do in the brick and mortar methodology. We are off to a good start, and deliver we will!
Q. What does the next 25 years look like for Pearson VUE? How do you see our test centres evolving in line with those changes?
Ray: As tech and AI become a fundamental part of every conceivable role, and required skills for any profession rapidly change, assessment and training need to come together to not only validate skills, but to identify the candidates best suited for the jobs and the learning required for them to succeed. The majority of our test centres operate as training centres, which creates the perfect partnership to bridge the knowledge gap and employ future generations. Over the next 25 years, this partnership will play an increased role in shaping the global workforce.
Matthew: People naturally expect industries of all types to move at the pace of the adoption of smartphones and the internet. For the assessment industry, this evolution means choice, and our test centres have a major role to play in this. Candidates want to choose how to take their tests: at a test centre one day, then via online proctoring the next. We’ll continue to work hard to provide the best options for our clients and candidates.