Takahiro Harada Director of IT-Related Subjects Certifications Earned Internet and Computing Core Certification   Employer Kofu Commercial College Location Japan

In his own words: "Acquisition of IC³ is a milestone. Individuals have to acquire qualifications to be the employees needed by the society in which they live."

Kofu Commercial College Adds IC³ to Curriculum to Provide Solid Foundation for Information Technology Learning
Two-year program culminates in IC³, produces confident and employment-ready students

Kofu Commercial College students studying information technology (IT) have an exciting, new opportunity this year: Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC³®), the world's only globally recognized standards-based certification for basic computer skills, has been added to the college's curriculum. To provide a foundation for continued IT instruction and to meet the high expectations of potential employers, the three IC³ exam components—Computing Fundamentals, Key Applications and Living Online—are now included in a two-year program that offers future commercial business technicians a basis on which they can build and validate their computing skills.

BACKGROUND
Established in 1991 by Kofu City of Yamanashi Prefecture, Kofu Commercial College is one of the only public technical colleges in Japan that focuses its academic study on IT and accounting. Using one-on-one instruction and emphasizing the importance of qualifications, the college strives to educate its students with practical abilities to become "commercial business technicians," an academic title given to graduates of selected technical colleges.

With only 120 students, Kofu Commercial College's small classes provide an educational environment equipped with the latest facilities and programs. Starting this academic year, IC³ is part of the college's curriculum, providing students opportunities to gain familiarity with computers and to earn a worldwide certification.

"I first learned about IC³ a year ago while reading Gokaku Joho Shori (Successes in ITEE magazine)," said Takahiro Harada, the director of IT-related subjects at Kofu Commercial College. "The magazine contained an article introducing IC³ and said the program is capable of separately evaluating necessary skills for each of three areas—fundamental knowledge of computers, fundamental knowledge of networks and operation of application software. I was very interested in the idea."

Harada said his discovery of IC³ was especially timely because some of the college's current assessment exams were being abolished by the end of the academic year. "We needed to reconsider what certificate exams students should take for the next academic year," he said. "We decided to teach IC³ in our courses."

Harada said IC³ was particularly appealing because it requires IT knowledge and skills that prepare students for more advanced certifications.

"Students these days have a lot of chances to use computers—in high schools, junior high schools and at home—and, consequently, are very familiar with the operation of applications such as Microsoft® Word and Excel," Harada explained. "However, it seems as though they do not properly understand the fundamentals of computers. Today, employers require personnel who have an overall knowledge of network, hardware and software. Individuals who are only good at operating applications are not able to make the contributions expected in business.

"IC³ is the best tool for students to learn an overall knowledge of computers because of its three subjects. I also consider IC³ to be very helpful in learning the basic knowledge and skills necessary for acquiring upper-level qualifications, such as the Information Technology Engineer Examination (ITEE), one of the most popular national IT-skill qualifications in Japan."

PROCESS
Students participating in the two-year program at Kofu Commercial College take a variety of courses, including instruction in information processing, end-user computing, multimedia communications and software operations. They use IC³ exam preparation textbooks and a mock-questions workbook from Fujitsu Office Machines, Ltd., a Certiport Approved Courseware Provider. In addition, students use practice materials created by Harada to prepare for the Key Applications portion of IC³. They also have opportunities to experience various troubleshooting cases to prepare for the Computing Fundamentals exam scheduled in their second year.

One of Kofu Commercial College's plans to ensure students successfully complete IC³ is to appropriately schedule training and examination. "It is neither efficient nor effective to start studying for an exam you are taking a year later," Harada explained. "Focusing learning efforts during a short period of time is more effective than learning little by little over a broad timeframe. Fortunately, IC³ allows us to set exam dates as we like, so we can always set the best date, considering carefully the other exams students have on their calendars."

Kofu Commercial College students are encouraged to pass Key Application and Living Online exams during their first year. Computing Fundamentals is a requirement for second-year students to earn course credit. Students pay their own exam fees, which are collected each April along with fees for reference books and workbooks.

Kofu Commercial College's intensive instructional style has already prepared many students to pass IC³ exams. Forty students are expected to earn IC³ by the end of the college's first two-year cycle of the course. "The new classes are running successfully so far," Harada reported.

Masakazu Hatsushika, a student participating in the program, appreciates the opportunity to earn IC³ at Kofu Commercial College. Through his study, Hatsushika has learned computer management skills, software operation, equipment maintenance and computer configuration. "Taking IC³ exams has made me more familiar with computers and has given me the knowledge to solve common personal computer problems, change system settings through the control panel and install and remove software by myself."

RESULT
Harada hopes Kofu Commercial College students who earn IC³ are prepared to continue their IT study and pursue employment.

"Acquisition of IC³, I think, is a milestone," he said. "Individuals have to acquire qualifications to be the employees needed by the society in which they live. IC³ is an international certificate, and I have no doubt that acquiring this certification will help build student confidence. More will be required of them if they intend to be experts in their field. To this end, it is very important they have a solid foundation. I sincerely hope our students will take a full advantage of IC³ as a step toward training themselves to be higher-value-added personnel."

Hatsushika said IC³ is great preparation for the future. "Acquiring computer skills is inevitable for me to live in the future society, and I will continue to improve my IT skills."