Community Business College will be making Microsoft Office 2016 certification available and is looking for participants to help beta test online exams.
Community Business
College has been selected as a beta testing participant for the new
Microsoft Office 2016 certification exams. These exams are the official
acknowledgement from Microsoft that the holders possess levels of competence
for the level designated on the certificate.
The college has begun phasing in the beta testing of the
Microsoft Office 2016 programs in a staged implementation schedule with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel to
start, to be followed by other programs such as Microsoft
PowerPoint. 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.
The purpose of the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)
certification is to allow people who have the skills needed to get the most out
of them by earning a certificate in a specific Office program. Microsoft states
that one of the advantages of earning an MOS certification is that holding a
MOS certification can earn an entry-level business employee as much as $16,000
more in annual salary than uncertified peers.
For candidates who are pursuing the higher level Microsoft
Office Specialist Expert and Microsoft Office Specialist Master certifications,
becoming a certified Microsoft Office Specialist is a great entry point. The
2016 versions of these expert-level exams will be released later this year.
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 beta testing program, Community Business College is
providing free MOS
Certification vouchers to volunteers who would like to assist in the beta
testing of these fully online exams. In exchange for their evaluations of the
exam system, participants who pass the exams will receive official certifications
at no charge to them. 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, “Our
goal in participating in this high technology 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. It’s also an excellent opportunity for people
in the Central Valley to earn an official technology certification at no cost
to them.”
Testing will begin in March, 2016 and proceed until the
system has received enough exams nationwide to demonstrate that the MOS 2016
exams have demonstrated that they are ready to be released into the general
testing system.
For this round of testing, a particular emphasis is being
placed on high school students. Students who score high on the certification
exams may be invited to The Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship.
This event is a global competition that tests students' skills on Microsoft Office
applications. Participating in this competition provides eligible students with
an excellent opportunity to showcase Microsoft Office Word, Excel and
PowerPoint skills, have some fun, impress student colleagues and gain
recognition.
Exams are primarily
performance-based and conducted in a "live," or simulated,
environment. Exam candidates taking these certification exams are asked to
perform a series of tasks to clearly demonstrate their skills. For example, a
Word exam might ask a user to balance newspaper column lengths or to keep text
together in columns. MOS 2016 presents the candidate with a project to build,
with tasks and steps that build on each other.
Each beta exam takes approximately 2 hours to complete
(although some students may finish quicker.
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.
People who would like to participate in the beta test can
contact the school’s main office either by phone or e-mail through the webpage www.cbcwebcollege.com.
What Else Do We Do?
Community
Business College has been training people in workforce development skills
for over 18 years. The school’s other
enrichment programs include advanced technology training, software specific classes
like QuickBooks, Business Spanish, IC3, Photoshop and other technology certifications.
More details can be found at the school’s website www.cbcwebcollege.com.
