The program of the HPC Certification Forum allows the existing content to be re-used but also makes it possible to create a new ecosystem in which HPC centres, research labs, academic institutions, and commercial companies could offer the best of their teaching material. The HPCCF aims to support existing activities and complements them by providing a unified and clear way of mapping out the relevant HPC competencies. It should be emphasised that the HPCCF does not regulate the content of training material; we purposely separate the definition of skills, the examination, and the certification from the content delivery. The program does not prescribe a curriculum or any fixed order in which skills should be obtained, thus providing flexibility. It eases the navigation between different competencies without being overly restrictive. We are hoping that a majority of the existing and newly created teaching resources can be branded indicating the skills they cover.

We believe the program will bring multiple benefits to everyone involved in HPC teaching and training. Making clear what skills are required or recommended for a competent HPC user would be helpful to both the HPC service providers and practitioners. Training providers could bundle together skills that are most beneficial for specific user roles and scientific domains, which would allow practitioners to browse through skills to quickly identify and learn the skills required to perform their tasks. The variety of training offered within the HPC community makes finding the right resources more complicated than it should be. We hope that the certification program will eventually provide useful information on where the desired skills are taught. The examination confirming that a certain set of competencies has been acquired makes the learning process more complete and meaningful.

By participating in the program, HPC training providers can increase the visibility of their teaching opportunities and share their resources more effectively. The mapping of the skills defined by the program onto the existing training materials should also help to identify any potential gaps and improve the integrity of the offered training. Finally, the certificates recognized by the whole HPC community will simplify the inter-comparison of independently offered courses and provide additional incentives for participation. Overall, the flexibility of the program allows for the construction of more personalized and just-in-time pathways to learning about HPC. 

To achieve these goals, the forum welcomes contributions from volunteers. For this initiative to truly fulfill its role the involvement of the members of the HPC training community with diverse backgrounds and experiences is required. As the HPCCF community is managed collaboratively according to self-managed evolving rules \cite{Ostrom_2015}, it is welcoming and the expected contribution is not demanding, due to the informal nature of the forum.