Microsoft Office Specialist Certification for Microsoft Project
Microsoft Office Specialist certification for Microsoft Office Project indicates proficient use of Project. This certification is ideal for individuals who plan projects with multiple tasks, customize graphs and reports, and communicate project information and status. Individuals with the following job titles would find the certification a valuable asset to their skills:
Microsoft Office Specialist certification on Project is awarded upon successful completion of a performance-based certification exam and is not intended as a substitute for the methodological certifications offered by professional project management organizations. The Project certification exam focuses on the use of Microsoft Project as a project management tool and was prepared by experts to assess ability with the many organizational, collaborative, and labour-saving features of Project. Microsoft Project certification requires proficiency with program features and functionality.
New certification
Microsoft Learning is offering a new family of Project 2007 certifications that fall within the new generation certification structure, including these three certifications:
•Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Managing Projects with Microsoft Office Project 2007
•Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Enterprise Project Management with Microsoft Office Project Server 2007
•Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Enterprise Project Management with Microsoft Office Project Server 2007
PRINCE2 Qualification Scheme
The PRINCE2 Qualification Scheme is developed by the APM Group Ltd in partnership with the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and The Stationery Office (TSO).
The APM Group accredit a network of training organisations including their trainers and course materials, to be able to offer PRINCE2 courses and examinations.
The PRINCE2 qualifications consist of two levels:
Foundation - The Foundation exam is the first of the two PRINCE2 Examinations you are required to pass to become a PRINCE2 Practitioner. This level is aiming to measure whether a candidate would be able to act as an informed member of a project management team using the PRINCE2 method within a project environment supporting PRINCE2.
Practitioner - The Practitioner exam is the second of the two PRINCE2 Examinations you are required to pass to become a PRINCE2 Registered Practitioner. This level is aiming to measure whether a candidate would be able to apply PRINCE2 to the running and managing of a project within an environment supporting PRINCE2.
If you want to become a Registered Practitioner, you MUST sit the Foundation and then the Practitioner, in that order. You can sit both exams in the same week or even day, or you can split them and sit them months (or even years!) apart. If you pass both examinations in the same week, you will receive a Practitioner Certificate but not a Foundation Certificate - as you cannot sit the Practitioner exam without first having passed the Foundation, it is not necessary to send a separate Foundation Certificate. You do not have to take a course to sit the examinations - it is down to your personal preference.
