MTA Training Available at Commercial Test Centers

Microsoft Technology Associate  (MTA) has previously been available only to academic students, faculty, and staff. Now, anyone looking to explore a career in IT or to enhance their knowledge of IT can take an MTA exam!

MTA provides essential technology training and an industry-recognized certification to those just starting a career in IT - or for business professionals who want to enhance their career by adding a technology skillset. 

Twelve exams in three technology tracks -- IT Infrastructure, Developer, and Database -- cover cutting-edge topics (such as Gaming and HTML5), and foundational topics that provide valuable skills in traditional technology fields and the new world of cloud computing. By passing an MTA exam you become part of the Microsoft Certification Program. While building confidence and skills, you can find MTA to be a stepping stone to other Microsoft certifications such as Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) or Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD).

Microsoft Learning Partners who delivered MTA training and certification exams during the recent pilot received positive feedback from their instructors and their students. The training and certification sessions took place in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. The pilot partners agree that MTA provides a great opportunity for those who are interested in exploring a career in IT but have little experience with technology.

Ready to get MTA certified? Go to here to find out how.

As another boost on your road to MTA, Microsoft is offering a free second shot on certification exams that are taken at commercial test centers.

Source: http://borntolearn.mslearn.net

What Drives IT Certifications?

I stumbled across this interesting blog post today (http://scn.sap.com/community/training-and-education/certification/blog/2012/10/11/what-drives-it-certification). Why do employees, employers, vendors, and partners get certified? John Kleeman spoke to attendees of the European Association of Test Publishers (EATP) to find out. (As some background, the Association for Test Publishers (ATP) is one of the key professional conferences in the certification industry. Microsoft Learning typically attends ATP in the United States, but I would love attend the European version at some point!)

I was struck by the reasons that employees get certified and why employers want their employees to be certified.

Employees: Why do you get certified? Certainly, one key driver is to improve your job or career prospects, but it appears that another key driver is to learn and develop skills. Certification is hard--it has to be if it's going to differentiate you from others--so if you get certified simply because you want an objective evaluation of your skills, you're showing some serious dedication and commitment to continuous lifelong learning. Of course, this makes me curious about why YOU get certified? Does the idea of using certification to learn and develop skills resonate with you? What drives you to get a certification and/or maintain one?  

Employers: Why do employers want their employees to be certified? To improve performance, obviously, but it's clear that employers realize that certification is not a guarantee for success. That being said, it certainly improves the odds of success, especially for first time implementations of new technology. To me, that suggests that the most valuable certifications are those in newer technologies and that certifying early--when a new version of a technology is just released--may give you an advantage over those who aren't certified, especially in those in those organizations that are rolling out the latest and greatest. Hmmm... this seems to tie back to that idea of certification as a mechanism to learn and develop new skills. Very interesting, indeed.

What do you think about the key drivers of IT certification that John described? Did he miss why you get certified or why you want your employees to be certified? I'd love to hear your thoughts

Source: http://borntolearn.mslearn.net