Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office Helps Certified Students Prove Skills and Increase Career Potential

Thousands set to participate in the Certiport-sponsored contest for desktop computing proficiency

SALT LAKE CITY – January 27, 2010

Certiport announced the launch of the 2010 Certiport Worldwide Competition on Microsoft® Office, a competition that provides a platform for students to showcase their expert skills using Microsoft Office tools.

Having demonstrated proficiency in the newest standard of the world's foremost desktop computing applications, Microsoft Word or Excel®, certified students have the tools to achieve more, distinguish themselves and advance in today's competitive academic and professional environments.

Details about the Certiport Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office: www.officecompetition.com

The competition boasts more than 80,000 students who will vie for the title of "World Champion." Over 53 countries from around the world will host local competitions to determine country and regional representatives based on exam scores and completion times. Selected students will then compete in this year's World Championships held in Park City, Utah, in August 2010.

Certiport created the Microsoft Office Specialist certification to meet the growing demand for individuals to use the full features and functionality of Microsoft Office Systems. Entering its ninth year, the Certiport Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office is the premier event for students to prove they have met the performance requirements that companies look for in potential employees.

"Industry certification programs validate that students have the expertise needed to compete in the global workforce," said Quinn Sutton, Certiport's Senior Vice President of Marketing. "Our worldwide competition is designed to be a catalyst, creating a competitive environment to encourage more students to seek certification. These students, in turn, will become competent employees able to fulfill workforce opportunities."

According to the recent Certification Magazine Salary Survey that included more than 40,000 responses from IT professionals in over 150 countries around the world, more than 85 percents of respondents agree that since they've become certified, there is a greater demand for their skills. More than 86 percent also report that achieving certification has increased their productivity on the job, and 96 percent from the top five countries with the highest salaries said they were certified.

The Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office has grown steadily since its inauguration in 2002 as a regional event in Asia. All told, more than 250,000 students from all over the world have competed for the coveted title of "World Champ" in its nine-year history. Participants who outperform their peers to make the final round of the Competition generally have perfect or near-perfect exam scores and completion times well below the allotted examination time.

Current students who pass a qualifying exam and are enrolled in an approved, degree-seeking academic institution are eligible to compete. The World Champions of Word and Excel will receive a grand-prize package of $6,500 USD in scholarships and prizes.

Visit the 2010 Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office to learn rules and restrictions for participating in this year's competition. More information about the Microsoft Office Specialist certification program can be found at: www.certiport.com/officespecialist.

About Certiport

Certiport, a Pearson VUE business, is the leading provider of certification exam development, delivery and program management services delivered through an expansive network of over 12,000 Certiport Authorized Testing Centers worldwide. Certiport manages a sophisticated portfolio of leading certification programs including: the official Microsoft Office Specialist certification program, the Microsoft Technology Associate certification program, the Microsoft Certified Educator program, the Adobe® Certified Associate certification program, the Adobe® Certified Expert program, the HP Accredited Technical Associate, the CompTIA Strata™ IT Fundamentals, the Autodesk Certified User certification program, the Intuit QuickBooks Certified User certification program, and the IC³ Digital Literacy certification. Certiport reliably delivers over three million tests each year throughout the secondary, post-secondary, workforce, and corporate technology markets in more than 148 countries and 27 languages worldwide. For more information, please visit www.certiport.com or follow Certiport on Twitter at www.twitter.com/certiport.

"Certiport" "IC³" and "MeasureUp" are registered trademarks of Certiport, Inc. in the United States and other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Press Contact:
Brenda Armstrong
1.801.602.0305
barmstrong@certiport.com