USA 19/08/2013 – The IT world is a fast changing one, so when Microsoft announced they were changing some aspects of their Certification Program no one was surprised.
The training courses for those IT professionals who specialize in Microsoft systems, infrastructure and hardware are constantly being updated. The services of IT professionals are always in demand, but the fact that they work within a constantly changing technology means that they have to be prepared to continually update their skills.
Most of the time the changes Microsoft makes to their training are gradual rather than radical, but every now and again there is a huge shake up, and there is one due to take place in 2014. New Microsoft trainees will no longer have the option to study the MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional) and the MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) titles. The last trainees for these titles will finish their courses in January 2014, when they will be replaced by the MCSE and MCSA.
For these new titles IT professionals will once again be required to get re-certified on a regular basis. MCSD will require 2-yearly recertification. MCSE every 3 years. At the moment there is no recertification need for MCSA. Naturally most IT professionals will choose to do this using Microsoft e-learning.
The old certification is still valid
The old certification titles will still be valid, but the training industry expects many who work in the field to take the new courses anyway. Many who work in the IT field know that the best way to secure a good job is to have the latest qualifications.
Many of the HR teams that carry out the recruitment of IT personnel do not themselves have much knowledge or experience of working in IT. They are simply asked to recruit someone with a certain qualification, so that is exactly what they look for. Some of these recruiters will know that the old certification form of MCITP is just as valid and relevant as the new title the MCSE. However, the problem is that not all will know this, so someone with the old certification may be filtered out at the application stage as not being meeting the qualification requirement. As a result, a lot of experienced Microsoft engineers are contacting Online IT Courses to find out more about taking the new Microsoft Certification titles to ensure they have the latest and most recognizable qualifications.