“Pure-play” OpenStack vendor Mirantis believes existing cloud computing training programs for OpenStack don’t meet the soaring demand for expertise in the open source cloud platform. That’s why it’s expanding its OpenStack training offerings with two new courses and a certificate verification portal.

Mirantis has offered OpenStack training since 2011. It describes its programs as “vendor-agnostic,” designed to teach core OpenStack skills that apply to any distribution.

The new courses the company is offering include OpenStack Fundamentals, designed to introduce business professionals to the open source cloud computing operating system, and OpenStack Bootcamp II, a course for “students with extensive background in OpenStack.”

To help add value to its OpenStack training offerings, Mirantis is also launching a certificate cerification portal, where it will list certified graduates of its program.

The company said its decision to expand its OpenStack courses reflects growing demand for OpenStack skills within the channel. Citing data from Indeed.com, Mirantis reported there are currently 2,000 career listings that require OpenStack expertise, and that engineers experienced with OpenStack can earn, on average, $32,000 more in annual salary than their peers without OpenStack skills.

“Mirantis Training is a powerful engine behind the industry’s adoption of OpenStack,” said Lee Xie, head of OpenStack Training Services at Mirantis. “We have given more than 5,000 students hands-on experience in standing up and managing an OpenStack environment. Of these, an estimated 30 percent report successfully deploying OpenStack in their organizations as a result of their training.”