Business Certifications for Microsoft Office 2007

We have released new certifications (for Office workers) for MIcrosoft Office 2007... they are called Microsoft Business Certifications and are structured differently than the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certifications on Office 2003. The audience is still for people like me, who spend much of the day in Office apps, creating really, really fascinating PPTs and must-read Word documents. But you, dear readers, might like to check them out too. 

There are two credentials in the Business Certifications program: a Microsoft Certified Application Specialist certification that says you know how to use one Office app (Excel, Access..). The next level is a Microsoft Certified Application Professional, which says you know how to use the technologies to get stuff done at work (mangage budgets, team collaboration...). If this sounds familiar, that's good, because it is similarly structured to the new generation IT pro and developer certifications, where an MCTSdemonstrates technology knowledge and MCITP or MCPD is intended to validate job role skills using the technology. 

The first exams available (in March) will be on Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. Next up Outlook and Access. I took the beta for the Word exam a month ago; I'll let you know if I pass. There is a possibility that I'll let you know if I did not pass. Something new: there is a Vista cert for Office workers as part of this program, available in August along with the first of the Application Professional credentials.

When you stop making fun of your non-IT co-workers for not knowing what partition limits are or whether E12 runs on SBS, you can tell them to learn more about the new Office 2007 certifications here:

  1. Business Certification landing page.
  2. Article on the new certs.
  3. Find the list of planned certs and timeline on this link