Certiport News
Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office Motivates Students to Demonstrate Advanced Skills with Certification
Certiport-sponsored contest to add first-ever Microsoft Office 2010 and PowerPoint 2007 "World Champion"
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – November 9, 2010
Certiport today announced the launch of the 2011 Certiport Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office. This popular technology skills event provides a platform for students to showcase their expert skills using Microsoft Office tools, giving them an upper hand in today's competitive academic and professional marketplace.
This year's contest marks the introduction of the 2010 Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Word and Excel exams, and also includes PowerPoint 2007 for the first time in the history of the competition. Similar to last year, students will also compete on Microsoft Word and Excel tracks for the Office 2007 system. Certiport expects more than 100,000 students from over 50 countries to compete for the title of "World Champion."
Details about the Certiport Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office:
www.officecompetition.com
Entering its tenth year, countries from around the world will host local competitions to determine country and regional representatives based on exam scores and completion times. Selected finalists will then compete in the 2011 World Championships held in San Diego, California, in August 2011. The top three winners in each category will receive scholarship prizes.
"Microsoft Office, the world leader in productivity applications, is used by hundreds of millions of people around the world. The recent introduction of Office 2010 has been the strongest in the product's history and with nine million beta downloads it continues to build tremendous momentum," said Lutz Ziob, General Manager, Microsoft Learning. "I am delighted the 2011 Worldwide Competition will showcase students who have mastered Office. These students not only benefit from expertise on useful tools, more importantly, they gain 21st century skills that will help them succeed in all aspects of their lives whether its school, work, play, or social expression."
Certiport created the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification to meet the growing demand for individuals to leverage the full features and functionality of Microsoft Office Systems. Students who earn a MOS certification demonstrate proficiency using the newest versions of the world's foremost desktop computing applications including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
"This is an exciting opportunity for both academic institutions and students alike to improve and showcase advanced desktop computing skills," said Ray Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Certiport. "Our MOS certification program ensures students are proficient experts of Microsoft Office applications, which in turn makes them more attractive to potential employers. The MOS certification helps to distinguish students who compete in a global workforce – a valuable asset in today's challenging economic environment."
Certiport's Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office has grown steadily since its inauguration and the number of exams entered worldwide continues to grow year-over-year. Today, more than almost half of a million students have competed for the coveted title of "World Champion" 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 student must be between the ages of 13 – 22 on June 15, 2011.
View Certiport's promotional video for the 2011 Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office on YouTube, along with an interview with Microsoft's Takeshi Numoto, Corporate Vice President, Office Product Management Group, who attended last year's competition. Learn rules for eligibility in the 2011 Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office at www.officecompetition.com.
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