Most of today’s office environments run on Microsoft Office software. It’s no surprise that job postings for administrative, marketing, sales and other jobs require applicants to be skilled in Microsoft Office Access, Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
To prospective employers, the difference between saying you have those skills and proving it is Microsoft certification in those programs.
“These are difficult exams to pass, but if someone is interviewing for a job and has certifications on his résumé, that person is going to stand out,” said Joan Shumaker, owner of Computer Training Resources Inc., which oversees Microsoft training classes at Southern Polytechnic State University’s Continuing Education Center.
“Certification is the validation that shows your proficiency and tells future bosses that your skills have been tested and meet globally recognized standards,” Shumaker said.
To help students prepare for the tests, the Continuing Education Center is offering four exam preparation courses in early 2011. Upon completion, students should be prepared to take the exams at Certiport Testing Centers.
An Access 2007 Exam 77-605 Prep Class will run for four full days (Feb. 24 to March 25), meeting every other week. Microsoft Access allows workers to create, store, link and manage databases. Experience using Microsoft Windows is required. The exam prep course also includes Access 2007 Introduction and Access 2007 Advanced instruction.
The cost, which includes home-study materials, is $1,025.
“It’s a timed test, so we teach the exam objectives and the skills they will need in class. Students will be able to practice at home through the self-study materials provided,” Shumaker said.
Self-assessment tests help students discover their weaknesses and to see where they need further instruction or practice.
“On the final day, they’ll be able to take a practice test that mimics the actual exam,” she said.
Students who want to earn Microsoft Office Specialist certification in Excel 2007 can take the Excel 2007 Exam 77-602 Prep course, which runs from Jan. 21 to March 18. The class meets all day on Fridays, every other week. Excel allows organizations to format and analyze data by creating workbooks, charts, graphs and reports.
“These skills would be useful for administrative assistants and managers,” Shumaker said.
The exam prep classes include Excel 2007 Introduction, Excel 2007 Intermediate Excel Database Features and Advanced Functions and Excel 2007 Collaboration and Macros. The cost is $1,025.
The PowerPoint 2007 Exam 77-603 Prep course will be on three all-day classes from Jan. 25 through March 22. The curriculum includes PowerPoint 2007 introductory and intermediate skills, as well as exam objectives and practice tests. The cost is $625.
The Word 2007 Exam 77-601 Prep course will be on every other Tuesday from Jan. 18 to March 1. The cost is $825.
In a Redmond magazine 2006 survey, 43 percent of IT professional respondents reported salary increases as a result of earning Microsoft certifications.
“Microsoft Office is the most recognized and used software in the business world,” Shumaker said. “Earning certifications shows your initiative to future employers. The more you know, the more likely you are to be hired and the more opportunities you’ll have to move up in your career.”
For information, call 678-915-7240 or go to http://oce.spsu.edu.
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