Real-world courses give students better job chances

When Brno University of Technology in the Czech Republic wanted to provide courses to students that would help them get a job in IT (and succeed in that job), they turned to the Microsoft IT Academy Program.

Situation

The Faculty of Information Technology (FIT) of Brno University of Technology was founded in 2002 and currently provides courses in information technologies to students at bachelor, master, and doctorate levels.

The faculty consists of 140 people and educates almost 1,600 students. Representatives of the faculty want the bachelor curriculum to be as close as possible to the needs of the real world. Therefore, five optional courses were created when the new study program was accredited. These courses can be modified according to the needs of an industry or application-oriented partner. A successful graduate, who completes a set of these optional courses, receives a certificate of his/her expertise in addition to the bachelor’s degree diploma.

Microsoft technologies were chosen as the first subject of interest because they are an unwritten standard in many areas of IT. Moreover, Microsoft could offer FIT extensive support (needed for an appropriate rollout of the courses) through participation in the Microsoft IT Academy Program. Because such courses had not been taught previously on a formal academic level in the Czech Republic, it was necessary to identify the scope and, especially, the content of the courses.

Business objectives

During the creation of new course content and scope, special attention was given to make courses reflect knowledge gained from required FIT lessons and to make courses interesting for students, giving them information to the maximum extent applicable in the real world. Technologies were chosen that are commonly used and that are required skills by many potential employers.

Solution

Five courses were created that lead to an internationally recognized certification offered through the Microsoft IT Academy Program – Microsoft Certified System Administrator. All of the courses focus on a practical application of knowledge gained from standard courses. Students can evaluate their knowledge and test practical skills.

Each of the courses prepares students for an MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) exam. These exams test technical knowledge in a given area of study. The exams are internationally recognized in the professional community. The exams take place under strict supervision at an accredited test center. Exams are protected against unauthorized access. The test questions in English are randomly selected from a pool of almost 6,000 questions. The test rooms are monitored by cameras, and the exams are fairly demanding, only distantly comparable with standard exams in the academic environment. This is one of the reasons why successful graduates with a Microsoft certification are highly valued professionals.

To gain the MCSA (Microsoft Certified System Administrator) certification, a student must pass at least 4 MCP exams. It is expected that successful graduates are offered additional courses from the MCSE (Microsoft Certified System Engineer) curriculum to complete, which is the highest certification in the Microsoft Learning program.

Benefits

MCSA and MCSE certifications put students in a very favorable position in the job marketplace, especially in organizations implementing Microsoft technologies.

The project expects cooperation from other commercial entities, especially from Brno and the region. It is assumed that companies focusing on the use and development of Microsoft products are directly interested in employing successful graduates. And so it is advantageous for these companies to support students by sponsoring MCP exams. In this way, students can gain outstanding knowledge in areas of interest to the sponsoring companies. The most successful students who pass several MCP exams or who gain a higher qualification (such as MCSA and MCSE) are offered the opportunity to lecture during some of the courses. As this activity is fairly well paid, in a relatively short time students can reach a substantial return on their investment.

Programs and technologies

Microsoft programs

Microsoft technologies

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