A special news conference announcing a partnership between Microsoft Canada Corp. and Durham College was held at the Durham College Skills Training Centre on Tuesday, February 24, 1998.
Microsoft Canada Corp. and Durham College teamed up to offer Microsoft Certificate programs, which lead to the designation of the Microsoft Certificate Professional. The first of the certificate programs, "Microsoft Certified Professional Systems Engineer" will be offered by Durham College beginning on March 2, 1998, with another to follow in April. Part-time courses are also planned.
Upon certification, a Microsoft Certified Professional Systems Engineer demonstrates competence to customers in planning, implementing and supporting business solutions with Microsoft Windows and Microsoft BackOffice. Knowledge and proficiency with Microsoft products is readily recognized by industry. In addition, the Microsoft Certified Professional Systems Engineer will have access to technical information directly from Microsoft.
The Microsoft Certification provides the best method to prove proficiency in current Microsoft products and technologies. Microsoft, a leader in certification, is on the forefront of testing methodology.
"We are training today's workforce for tomorrow's technology," says Denise Cuthbert, Skills 2000 Program Manager at Microsoft. "Microsoft Certified next to your name means you meet Microsoft's highest standards. Our reports show that today, there are at least 17,200 technical jobs available in North America alone. Many say they could hire up to a dozen people today based on the demand in the industry for Microsoft-based solutions."
Chris Cruikshank, Coordinator, Microsoft Professional Certificate Program at Durham College says, "We are very excited about this partnership. We are preparing a 'Centre of Excellence for Information Technology' at Durham College. During the information sessions we held, our community told us we needed a "Certification Resource Centre" in Durham Region. We had at least 200 people show up in person and at least 300 more inquiries by other means. We are here to serve our community."
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