Preparing Students for the Digital Workforce Through Certifications

Buckeye Career CenterAdult Education Department

New Philadelphia, OH 44663

Overview of Certiport

• Established in 1997• Exclusive worldwide administrator of the Microsoft Office

Specialist and IC³ certification programs• Use concurrent and simulation technologies

Certiport is the leading provider of global, performance-based certification programs and services designed to enable individual

success and lifetime advancement through certification

Overview of Certiport (cont.)

• Worldwide Statistics– Close to 2.1 million validated exams delivered– Over 1,400,000 certifications issued– The Microsoft Office Specialist program is the fastest

growing computer certification– 9,000 testing centers– 40,000 exams monthly – 18 languages – 114 countries – 47 Courseware publishers

Why Certify?

• Advance in education and career• Increase productivity• Stand out from the competition• Portable proof of skills• “Certification creates a workforce capable of

delivering higher service levels”– Prometric Study

• “Even in recession, value of certifications has held steady…”– www.eweek.com/itcareerscenter

Microsoft Office Specialist

Put Microsoft on Your Resume

A huge need and opportunity

• Over 250 million Microsoft Office users across the globe

• 95% of all businesses standardize on Microsoft Office

• However, the average user only understands 20% of the functionality available in the Office suite

Microsoft Office Specialist

• Independent confirmation of an individual’s mastery of Microsoft Office programs– Word, Excel, PowerPoint®, Access, Outlook® and Project– Certification of true abilities via realistic, performance-based

tests• The only credential of its kind provided by Microsoft• Rapid growth of certifications worldwide

since July, 1998– Year-over-year growth: 1999 +553%; 2000 +203%; 2001

+161%

Testing Method

• Questions– Based upon “objectives or tasks” defined by Subject

Matter Experts – Correspond to real world tasks– Written by professional item writers– Validated by professional psychometricians

• Exams– Performance-based exams (45 minutes)– Core level certification meets basic features in Microsoft

Office applications– Expert level certification meets advanced features in

Microsoft Office applications

Certification Benefits

• Provides individuals with credentials indicating mastery of Microsoft Office programs– Empowers and expands opportunities

• Professional benefits:– Credible proof of Office proficiency – Key differentiator in competitive job market

• Student benefits: Recognized credential for college admission and job applications– Distinguishes student as having business technology skills

and the desire to excel– Opportunity to earn transferable college credits

Benefits For Employers

• Signifies an employee’s ability to leverage Microsoft Office programs for organizational success– Serves as a reliable performance-oriented standard of

competency • Streamlines the applicant screening process

– Identifies individuals that actually possess, rather than profess, critical business desktop skills

• Identifies employees who can make a difference– A visible example of skills enhancement to fellow workers

increases professional credibility

Improving the Workplace

• The following 4 slides highlight the effectiveness of Microsoft Office Specialist “on the job”

• Data from a survey of 13,700 Microsoft Office Specialist examinees and their supervisors

• Survey administered by independent 3rd party research organization

Improves competence

• Individuals who have successfully completed Microsoft Office Specialist certification have more competence in work performed– 80% of employees felt Microsoft Office Specialist increased

their competence with Microsoft Office applications– 89% of supervisors stated Microsoft Office Specialist

certification resulted in increased employee competence with Microsoft Office applications

Increases productivity

• Individuals who have successfully completed Microsoft Office Specialist certification show an overall increase in productivity– 73% of employees and 85% of supervisors feel Microsoft

Office Specialist certification has a positive impact on employee productivity

Raises employee credibility

• Individuals who have successfully completed Microsoft Office Specialist certification are more credible– 86% of supervisors feel Microsoft Office Specialist

certification has a positive effect on employee professional credibility among co-workers

– 80% of supervisors feel Microsoft Office Specialist certification has a positive effect on employee professional credibility with customers and clients

Recruitment and Promotion

• Microsoft Office Specialist has a positive effect on recruitment and promotion– 71% of supervisors feel Microsoft Office Specialist

certification is advantageous to employees considered in hiring, promotion, and advancement decisions

Benefits For Educators

• Provides students with the skills, confidence and credentials needed to excel academically and professionally – Signifies students’ ability to apply Office knowledge and

skills to common academic and business tasks– Gives students a recognized and highly-credible credential

• Positions the institution as a “technology leader”• Provides a ready-to-use, modular examination format

– Reliable method for evaluating the effectiveness of computer training

– Provides faculty with a method to increase and verify their own skills

A rapidly growing list of schools

Fullerton CollegeCatawba Valley CCCuyahoga CCDelaware Tech & CCHudson Valley CCOklahoma City CCLoyalist CollegeSpokane CCJamestown CCSouthwest Texas Junior CollegeSanta Barbara City CollegeHilton High SchoolRed River High SchoolPotomac Senior High SchoolYakima School Dist.

Pepperdine UniversityNotre Dame UniversityClemson UniversityNorthern Illinois UniversityTexas A&M UniversityMontana State UniversityTexas Christian UniversityUniversity of MichiganUniversity of ArkansasUniversity of AkronRoosevelt UniversityUniversity of TexasLouisiana State UniversityUniversity of KentuckyAlbany State University

Over 2,000 educational institutions

What employers are saying

• "When our employees earn Microsoft Office certification, they prove to themselves and our clients that they can effectively troubleshoot and provide solutions to clients over the phone. Certification is an integral part of our Microsoft Office training program.”

– Kyle Root, IT training manager for EDS Global Support Services

Companies with Certified employees

• American Express• FedEx• JP Morgan Bank• Levi Strauss and Company• McDonald’s Corporation• Pepsi-Cola• Pfizer• Scholastic Inc.• Sprint PCS• Sysco Foods• Verizon• US Bancorp

• UPS• Wells Fargo Financial• Cigna Health Care• GMAC• Ikon Office Solutions• Albertson’s• Briggs & Stratton• New York Life Asset Mgmt• Chrysler Financial Corporation• KB Home• Target Group, Inc.• Centex Homes

What your peers are saying

• "As an industry-recognized standard, certification shows employers that a candidate is proficient in using Microsoft applications. The clear result is a stronger bottom line through dollars saved, dollars earned, or both."

– Jeff Johnson, Associate Dean of Computer Training, Bellevue Community College

Certiport Exam Delivery System

1. Candidates take exam in proctored environment– Any computer lab can be a testing center

2. Candidates receive printed score results3. Results are uploaded to global candidate database4. Certiport delivers certificate to passing candidates5. Candidates can view their online Digital Transcripts

Digital Transcript Service

• Secure, authenticated website• Candidates can view exam and certification results

online at any time• Instantaneous results• Access can be granted for educators, employers, and

staffing agencies to verify candidate results

Sample Digital Transcript

Enhance Programs with Certification

• Test Out options• Course placement• Final course exams• Teacher professional development• Community workforce development

Contact:John H. Barr

Buckeye Career Center330-308-5720

orjbarr@bjvs.k12.oh.us