ITIL v3 qualifications are available at four levels with each certificate carrying a number of credits towards the advanced level qualifications.
A minimum of twenty-two credits are required to achieve the ITIL Expert level qualification and credits are also awarded for qualifications held from previous versions of ITIL. The Four levels of qualification are as follows:
The four levels of qualification are as follows:
ITIL V3 Foundation
The target audience for the ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management is drawn from:
- Individuals who require a basic understanding of the ITIL framework and how it may be used to enhance the quality of IT service management within an organization.
- IT professionals who are working within an organization that has adopted and adapted ITIL who need to be informed about and thereafter contribute to an ongoing service improvement programme.
Read more about the ITIL V3 Foundation Qualification.
ITIL V3 Intermediate
The target audience for the ITIL Intermediate Certificate in IT Service Management is drawn from:
- Individuals who require a deeper understanding of the ITIL Service Management Practice elements of the ITIL Service Lifecycle and how they may be implemented to enhance the quality of IT service management within an organization.
- IT professionals working in roles associated with strategic planning, execution and control within a service-based business model, seeking a deeper understanding of the functions and processes of the ITIL Service Lifecycle.
- Individuals seeking the ITIL Expert level certification in ITIL Service Management for which these are prerequisite modules.
- Individuals seeking progress towards the ITIL Advanced Service Management Professional standing in IT Service Management for which the ITIL Expert certification is a prerequisite.
- Individuals who wish to specialize in any of the Service Lifecycle and Capability Areas.
Two ITIL V3 Intermediate tracks are available:
- Firstly the ITIL V3 Intermediate Lifecycle track which comprises a 3 day module and Certificate for each of the five core books. This route broadly matches the Version 2 Managers Training. Includes 5 individual certificates built around the five core OGC titles, as follows:
- Secondly, the ITIL V3 Intermediate Capability track which comprises of four role specific 4 day modules and certificates as follows. This route broadly reflects the Version 2 Practitioners qualifications.
- Operational Support and Analysis (OS&A). Subjects covered inc. Event, Incident, Request, Problem, Access, Service Desk, Technical, IT Ops and Application Management
- Service Offerings and Agreements (SO&A). Subjects covered inc. Portfolio, Service Level, Service Catalogue, Demand, Supplier and Financial Management
- Release, Control and Validation (RC&V). Subjects covered inc. Change, Release & Deployment, Validation & Testing, Service Asset & Configuration, Knowledge, Request Management and Service Evaluation
- Planning, Protection and Optimization (PP&O). Subjects covered inc. Capacity, Availability, Continuity, Security, Demand and Risk Management.
ITIL Expert
This certification is achieved by accumulating credits through the first two levels of the Scheme.
There is no examination required for this level; however individuals must achieve credits through a selection of balanced subject areas which represent and are examined across the full spectrum of the ITIL Service Management Practice areas.
To achieve the certification, individuals must obtain a minimum of twenty two (22) credits, two of which must be from the Foundation module which is a mandatory first step, and five of which must be from the 'Managing Across the Lifecycle' module which is a mandatory final step.
Individuals can choose modules from the Capability (4 credits per module) or Lifecycle (3 credits per module) Streams to gain the other 15 credits, but are expected to choose a balanced programme overall.
Individuals who hold a V1 or V2 Managers Certificate (17 credits) and attend the mandatory V3 Managers Bridge course and pass the examination (5 credits) will also obtain the ITIL® Expert certification.
More information about the ITIL V3 Expert Qualification.
ITIL Master
The Advanced Level of study leads to an ITSM professional Certification.
Individuals for the Advanced Level are required to have achieved the ITIL Service Management Expert certification and be able to demonstrate practical application experience through a peer evaluation scheme.
Individuals will be assessed on the broader issues of ITSM Implementations, including, but not limited to:
- Managing cultural and organizational change
- Responding to industry change
- Continual improvement of ITSM capability
- Preparing organization for audit and certification
- Preparing to become and ITSM consultant and/or an ITIL trainer
Individuals wishing to achieve Advanced Level standing are required to have a minimum of eight years of ITSM experience and to have achieved the ITIL Expert certification.
Individuals with existing ITIL V2 qualifications can use those qualifications as credits towards the Expert or may find that the credits or qualifications they hold will make them eligible for the current V3 Bridging routes.
ITIL V3 Bridging Courses
Candidates who hold earlier ITIL qualifications can update their knowledge and certification via a series of "bridging" courses, such as the Foundation Bridging Course. These courses will also earn a candidate credits towards the Expert Level.