Community
Business College has been selected as a beta testing center for the international
rollout of the new IC3 GS5 industry certification examination. The selection
means the Modesto, California vocational college will be participating in the
beta testing of the new IC3 GS5 exams and cloud-based testing environment.
Officials at the school report they have started the testing with current
students and graduates and are opening the testing to members of the public who
would like a no-cost attempt at earning technical computing certifications.
What is IC3?
The IC3 abbreviation stands for "Internet and Computing
Core Certification." The IC3 exam is a global certification, designed to
certify an individual's digital literacy skills associated with fundamental
computer and Internet use. IC3 is the first computer certification to be recognized
by the National Skill Standards Board (NSSB). The newest edition of the IC3
certification track, known as IC3-GS5 (Global Standard 5), will be updated to
include new technologies including Microsoft Windows 7 OS and the Microsoft Office
suite of programs.
Community
Business College was selected because of its expertise in the technologies
required for implementing the exams and its extensive experience in beta
testing technical certification exams.
To implement the program, Community Business College is
providing free vouchers to those who want to assist in the beta testing of these
fully online exams. In exchange for their evaluations of the exam system,
participants will receive official certificates for each exam they pass. The
school is absorbing all costs for this high-technology project and will provide
these services all at no cost to the participants. The vouchers will be distributed
on a first-come-first-served basis up until the project is complete.
Dan Guerra Community Business College’s director, said, “The
overall goal of the project is to test the functionality of the updated exams
and their new delivery engine environment. Modesto, with its new initiatives to
kick start its technology sector, is a great place for this to happen.”
The IC3 GS5 beta exams are completely interactive and
consist of approximately 115 questions. Exam takers are given 120 minutes to
answer as many questions as possible.
The IC3 exams are divided into three categories:
Key
Applications
Computing
Fundamentals
Living
Online
The exams test users’ abilities to solve basic digital
literacy problems, use basic productivity applications, and understand the
structure of common technologies. In addition, the exam questions assess the
ability to apply existing knowledge to deal with unfamiliar situations and
scenarios.
Community
Business College is also offering a study guide and informational outline
on its website for those interested in learning more about the exam. Once the
beta testing is complete, the live version of the exam will be continuously
available at the institution.
One of the reasons the college is participating in the program to help to continue to bring high technology certifications to California's Central Valley.
People who would like to participate in the beta test can
contact the school’s main office either by phone or e-mail.
What Community Business College Does
 |
| Community Business College also offers online short courses |
Community
Business College has been training people in workforce development skills for
over 17 years. The school offers job placement assistance to its unemployed graduates
and enrichment classes for its working graduates to meet its goal of helping
students practice lifelong learning. On-ground and distance-learning vocational
classes include Computer Office Specialist; Legal Secretary; and Medical Billing And Coding.
Students attending the school are funded by veterans
programs, the MyCAA military spouse scholarship program, and the Workforce
Investment Act (WIA) training funding.
The school’s other enrichment programs include advanced
technology training, specific software classes, Business Spanish, English As A
Second Language (ESL) and certifications.
Enrichment courses focus on common operating systems such as
Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Android. Software classes are based on
Office applications (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, LibreOffice, Office 365,
Google Docs, and iWork) and standard computer productivity applications such as
word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, multi-media, and file and data
management.
The college also participates in programs which assist adult
students in completing high school diplomas and obtaining their GEDs free
of charge.
