Dennis Warren Transition Program Analyst, Certifications Offered Microsoft Office Specialist Program   Certiport Center Career Resource Office, Marine Corps Community Services Location California

In his own words: "The purpose of our program is to make military personnel more job-ready and more attractive to the prospective employer. Even having one Microsoft Office Specialist Certification under their belt will greatly benefit them in their job search."

Certification Helps Marines and Sailors Become More Job-Ready as They Transition out of the Military

BACKGROUND
The Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) Career Resources office focuses on providing 13,000 military and civilian government employees and their spouses with community support programs and services. Since initiation of the Microsoft Office Specialist program, the Career Resource Office has become the third most successful Microsoft Office Specialist certification provider in the state of California.

PROCESS
Because the Career Resource Office covers the cost of the Microsoft Office Specialist exams, it only offers the exams to active duty marines, Navy sailors, family members, and government employees on the base. The Microsoft Office Specialist program helps everyone improve their software proficiency, particularly military personnel as they transition out of the military.

CERTIFICATION SOLUTION
“The purpose of our program is to make military personnel more job-ready and more attractive to the prospective employer,” says Dennis Warren, Transition Program Analyst for Marine Corps Community Services Career Resource Office. “We were using another skills assessment program before working with Certiport, but it didn’t hold as much weight in the market as the Microsoft Office Specialist program. Telling a prospective employer that you’re Microsoft Office Specialist certified means a lot these days. Even having one Microsoft Office Specialist Certification under their belt will greatly benefit military personnel in their job search."

RESULT
The Career Resource Office has received several success stories from family members and military personnel who have used certifications to further their military career or gained employment after becoming a civilian.
One example is Monica Brady, now the Acting Director for the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, on Okinawa, Japan. “When I first heard about the ‘free Microsoft certifications’ through the Career Resource office, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to look into it. I have always worked on computers, but have never had the certifications to prove my proficiency. I spent the summer in Twentynine Palms going through all of the lessons and practice tests. In just a couple of months, I had completed all seven of the tests and obtained my Microsoft Office Specialist Master Certification.”
Brady concludes, “Later that year, when I moved to Okinawa with my husband, I found the job market there to be extremely competitive. I submitted my resume and a copy of my Microsoft Office Specialist Master certificate for a job announcement and got the job a few weeks later. After I started working, I found out that my computer skills weighed heavily in my favor during the selection board and in the director’s hiring decision. The Microsoft Office Specialist Master Certification has done everything to help me in my career endeavors. ”