Academies sign up to become Microsoft IT Academy members

Technology drives the 21st century`s global economy and 85% of today`s jobs require digital and technological skills. Emerging market economies have defined a technology-literate workforce as a primary economic driver.

Job seekers signing up for technology courses expect to leave skilled, marketable and able to get a good job. They know when they enter the workforce they`ll face an employer who expects and needs them to have the relevant technological skills. Academies that are signed up Microsoft IT Academy (ITA) members can fulfil the expectation of both student and employer because they skill their learners to international standards and certify them internationally.

Commenting on the success of this programme to date, Ronald Woolf, ITA Programme Manager, South Africa, said: "Since Microsoft South Africa afforded Intersoft the opportunity of managing the ITA programme in this region in August 2006, we have seen a dramatic growth in the membership from 22 to 150 members as of June 2008." Woolf added: "We expect this growth to continue in the years ahead - a testimony to the acceptance of the programme by academies across the wide educational spectrum."

The ITA programme is a global IT education solution connecting students, instructors, institutions and communities through a life-long learning model of technology skills development and is at the core of government`s ICT skills policy, already contributing towards strengthening IT skills and talent in this country. All international Microsoft certifications are aligned to local unit standards and the international Microsoft certification is a method of assessment in awarding unit standards towards achieving a local NQF qualification.

Any accredited academic training provider, including schools, is eligible to join this programme, which is incredibly affordable: The value-adds are the best available anywhere in the world. This means that it is possible for any accredited training provider to offer this programme to its learners and allows those in disadvantaged communities to participate.

With ITA Essential and/or Advanced level membership, your institution can gain instant recognition and the credibility of the Microsoft brand, along with a comprehensive curriculum for students and instructors. When you sign up, you receive all the tools to market your institution to learners, including complete instructor resources (which cuts down enormously on preparation time), over 260 e-learning modules which integrate into the official academic courseware, creating a blended learning solution as well as heavily discounted software and exam vouchers. Each membership level offers a variety of tools, software and rich resources to support your institution in delivering quality training in the latest Microsoft technologies. It`s no wonder that educational institutions sign up to get the advantages!