Coverage
Certiport Offers Key Industry Certifications to Schools
November 28, 2011
www.districtadministration.com
Young people are struggling to find jobs more than ever during this tough economy, so some high school students are turning to industry certification to differentiate themselves and expand employment opportunities. We recently talked to Certiport's CEO Ray Kelly, who told DA about the opportunities industry certification provides to students.
Most people use less than 20 percent of the applications that Microsoft Office offers, but students who attain a Microsoft Office Specialist certification know the suite at an advanced level. Taking a keyboarding class isn't enough to distinguish you from other candidates anymore. Industry certifications show employers that you know specific software inside and out and will be more efficient with your time at work than someone without said certification.
Kelly told us how Fort Meyers High School in Lee County (Fla.) Public Schools seamlessly integrated Adobe Certified Associate curriculum into yearbook class. Students spent months using Adobe Photoshop to produce the school's yearbook. After the book was completed, students started practicing for the industry certification test. They were able to dive deeper into the software and become proficient users of Photoshop by taking yearbook class- pretty neat!
According to Kelly, most of these industry certification programs are paid for through federal grants, so it's a win-win for students and schools.
Other industry certifications provided by Certiport include Microsoft Technology Associate, Intuit Quick Books Certified User, Internet and Computing Core Certification, CompTIA Strata and Autodesk Certified User.