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New Upwork Skill Certifications

lenaellis
Community Member

We have launched a new initiative to help freelancers showcase their expertise by earning an Upwork Skill Certification. These skill certifications highlight talent that has demonstrated competency in their field by passing a rigorous skill assessment or sample work review, evaluated by domain experts in their field.

 

Currently, Upwork Skill Certifications are available for certain skills in the Web & Mobile Software Development (WMSD) and Design & Creative fields. For WMSD, certification is a two-step process that takes 2 to 3 hours. Participants must achieve a passing score on two timed and proctored coding tests. Design & Creative talent must achieve a passing score on their Upwork portfolio, which is evaluated by a panel of third-party domain experts. You can learn more about Upwork Skill Certifications here. Given the intricacy of having skills assessed, these certifications are exclusively invite-only at this time.  

 

Upwork Skill Certifications will display on your Upwork profile in the certifications area.

 

Here is an example of a Microsoft certification on a profile. Upwork Skills Certifications will appear in a similar format but with an Upwork badge for the specialized certification. 

Sample existing certification

MS Certifications.png

Sample Upwork Skills Certification Badge

Skill Certification.png

Upwork Skill Certifications are currently available in 10 software development languages and 16 design and creative skills. 

 

Upwork Skill Certifications in Web & Mobile Software Development test for individual proficiency in a particular language or technology. Assessment methodology varies by skill, using a combination of timed, proctored tests and in some cases, technical interviews. 

 

  • Android, Java
  • Android, Kotlin
  • iOS, Objective-C
  • iOS, Swift
  • C#, Desktop Software Development
  • C++, Desktop Software Development
  • Java Back-end Development
  • JavaScript Back-end Development
  • JavaScript Front-end Development
  • PHP Back-end Development
  • Python Back-end Development
  • Ruby on Rails Back-end Development

 

Upwork Skill Certifications in Design & Creative test for an individual’s or agency’s demonstrated competency in current design best practices. A panel of 2 or more domain experts evaluates a freelancer or agency Upwork portfolio based upon several dimensions depending upon the skill. 

 

  • 2D Animation
  • 3D Animation
  • 3D Modeling *NEW*
  • Art Direction
  • Brand Identity
  • Cartooning
  • Creative Direction
  • Editorial Design
  • Graphic Design
  • Illustration
  • Image Editing
  • Motion Graphics
  • Presentation Design
  • User Experience Design
  • User Interface Design
  • Video Editing
  • Videography

 

We plan to grow the program and offer the skill assessments to more talent and in additional skill areas. You do not need to have earned a talent tier such as Top Rated or Expert-Vetted to receive an invitation. These are signals of having expertise in your field and do increase your chances of being invited, though. For the best chance of being invited, achieve and maintain a solid reputation, complete identity verification, maintain a complete and up-to-date profile that is not set to private, and have an active Upwork account in good standing. 

348 Comments
wendy_writes
Community Member

Lena, this is great for tech type jobs ... but how do you (Upwork) plan on 'judging' creatives?

 

Serious question ....

2a05aa63
Community Member

Neat! 

Question, I did do a test before for the Talent Cloud. Wouldn't that be enough to get the certificaion?

deninichi
Community Member
Everything we need to know about these tests - PHP “Front-end Development”.

If they even don’t know what PHP is, I cannot imagine what we will see inside tests.
kochubei_valeria
Community Member
Hi Wendy
 
Thanks for your question. Showcasing a portfolio with current and original work will be required in order to receive a Skill Certification in Design & Creative fields. The portfolio will be reviewed by a panel of domain experts with expertise in the field. 
This help article has information about the process for receiving Skill Certification in Design and Creative fields.
kochubei_valeria
Community Member

Hi Viacheslav,

 

If any of the assessments you've passed in the past qualify you for the Skills Certification, you'll be notified about it. Otherwise, you'll need to complete the assessment. 

wendy_writes
Community Member

Valeria, thanks for the link. But I still have a question.

 

Your info covers everything from Animation to Videography ...but other than the use of the words "Brand Identity" - which is, due to placement, indicitative of visual branding ... 

 

What About Writers?

lenaellis
Community Member
Hi Wendy.

We do not have any certifications available for writing at this time.
lenaellis
Community Member
Hi Denis.

Thanks for flagging this. That is my mistake and I’ll make sure this is updated. I am not a developer and rest assured, I am not giving the assessments. The Skill Certifications are handled by experts in that field.
sartric
Community Member

I have a question.
Do I need to confirm my knowledge to pass certification and get a badge as an "illustrator"? Anatomy? Color matching? Paper weight?
Do you understand that creativity is subjective?)))

dejanstamenov
Community Member

Hi Lena,

 

Thank you for the nice wrap up of the new talent badges! I am excited about this and am hoping that we will soon be able to undergo Upwork certificatons for C# as well.

 

Best regards,

Dejan