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Kankakee Community College
Supplying Certified Microsoft Office Specialists in Illinois
Kankakee Community College fills a vital role, serving the business community by training and certifying Microsoft Office Specialists. Using innovative approaches to training and offering certification to students enrolled in various programs, KCC adapts to meet the needs of employers and students alike.
Kankakee Community College (KCC) is a leader in Microsoft® Office Specialist certification in the Kankakee-Iroquois county area of Northern Illinois and a main supplier of certified Office Specialists to area businesses such as Illinois Century Network, Applied Systems, and HomeStar Bank.
Mary Posing, Director of Corporate and Continuing Education, works with area business leaders and reports that "they need employees who are skilled in using Microsoft Office applications." Professor Kristine Condon, Microsoft Office Specialist Master Instructor, adds this: "Employer demand tells us that we have to blend academic programs and certification." To meet the growing demand, says Posing, "We offer short-term courses-either at KCC or at the client site, using our mobile computer lab-that teach people to perform the desired skills."
Students who pass the expert-level exams earn Master certification, a credential that Posing says "is gaining in value as businesses recognize it as evidence of proficiency." Condon has energetically promoted Microsoft Office Specialist certification, placing information about KCC's program in local newspapers and raising awareness about the business benefits. Posing reports that Condon's efforts "have increased demand from businesses that now recognize they can ask for-and get-applicants whose skills are up to date and certified."
Employers Demand Proven Skills
Posing sums up the business dilemma and its solution in this way: "How can a human-resources representative distinguish one applicant from another based on what the resume shows? Certification is the best way to measure it."
Matthew Olszewski, Vice President and Chief Credit Officer for HomeStar Bank, agrees: "Many applicants state that they are proficient in various software applications. Subsequently, it is determined that the applicants have only a cursory understanding of the programs. Microsoft Office Specialist certification would assure us that the applicant would not need extensive training on the various programs covered by the certification."
According to Posing, KCC addresses the business need to quantify stated skills by mapping training to certification and "has a feather in its cap for being a Microsoft Office Specialist shop and an authorized testing center. We're part of a somewhat elite group as one of the earliest adopters of certification to meet the needs of area employers with our recognized program."
Tina Thompson, a certified Microsoft Office Specialist and Director of Employee Learning & Development for Applied Systems-an insurance software company-sent Rachel Bohl to KCC to earn her Master Instructor certification because "certification provides instructor credibility and boosts confidence."
Rachel then became the primary corporate trainer for Microsoft Office and agrees that "when you walk into a Microsoft Office class and tell students that you have Master Instructor certification, it's very powerful." To perpetuate the benefits of certification throughout the company, she "put together a Microsoft Office Specialist certification plan for administrative assistants and tied a bonus to passing the exams. The company funded it, knowing the return on the investment would be high. Now employees perform more efficiently and are recognized as experts. Managers tell me that they are more productive because of their certified assistants." And, with the visible success of the program, demand for certification is growing among other employees.
Tammy Cave was thrilled: "I was very focused during training, because I was working toward certification." In addition to the bonus, the best rewards are that "I have a certificate on the wall showing my proficiency, and Microsoft recognizes me as an expert in using their products. That's exciting!" Dawn Guenette knew that Microsoft Office Specialist certification would prove her skills and says "it makes my job easier, I'm more efficient, and now I can help others use the applications."
Illinois Century Network, which provides Internet service to educational institutions throughout Illinois, funded Clara Gillespie's training and certification in Microsoft Office 2000.
Susan Bowen, Regional Supervisor, reports that since earning certification "Clara has created a Microsoft Access database, originally used to generate reports to facilitate order tracking and expedite the process of getting clients up and running on the Internet. Clara is now taking XP courses; as we move to XP, she will be able to help others with new features."
Students Seek Certification
Certification exams are gaining in popularity among KCC students. Condon allows her advanced Microsoft Access students to "either complete a final project or take the Microsoft Office Specialist exam in lieu of the final. Half of the class initially took the exam, but the numbers now are in excess of 95% taking the Microsoft Office Specialist exam."
Most KCC students are funded by businesses or participate in workforce-development programs such as the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Other students pay a small fee for the short-term classes and for each Microsoft Office exam. Robert Gifford, Computer Specialist in Information Technology Services for KCC, received funding for tuition and books through a state JTPA (now WIA) grant to retrain after his job was eliminated. He earned advanced Microsoft Access certification "because the Microsoft Office is the most prevalent." Since then, freelance clients have hired him because of his certification, so Robert knows firsthand that "certification opens doors when you're in a technology field and help people work with the product."
Since 1999, average exam scores have increased six percent. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of KCC students who have taken Microsoft Office Specialist exams have passed, compared with 57% of non-KCC students. The average 2002 exam score so far is 88%, with 65% of those students trained at KCC. Posing attributes the high pass rate among KCC students to excellent preparatory classes, which use Microsoft-certified Course Technology courseware that maps to the exams, Condon's specialized exam-prep workshops, and self-study materials-including more than 500 CD-ROMs-made available through a partnership between KCC and the National Education Training Group (NETG). From Condon's perspective, "The community recognizes that certification is the standard that we drive to, so we draw students for our training, which results in higher test scores."
Using the Microsoft Office certification exams enables KCC to ensure that different instructors teach the same proficiency skills. In addition, students can earn college credit by taking a 'Credit by Proficiency' examination.
Students pay the equivalent of one credit hour of tuition to take a Microsoft Office Specialist exam (less than the regular cost of the exams). If they pass the exam the first time, they receive two hours of college credit. Otherwise, they must take the class. KCC also will transfer Microsoft Office Specialist exams taken at other schools for two hours of KCC college credit.
Why such a generous program? Condon replies, "To let students devote their time and money to things they need to learn rather than things they already know."
Certification for a variety of students and clients in differing situations is one way in which KCC furthers its mission of "Enhancing Quality of Life through Learning."
—Posted 10/23/02
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