Administrative Professionals are the largest segment of the office workforce! Over 4.1 million secretaries/administrative assistants are employed in the United States, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor. In addition, approximately 300,000 secretaries/administrative professionals are employed in Canada, and millions more work in businesses all over the world.

The Administrative Professional plays an increasingly vital and skilled role in today's (and tomorrow's) office...

The Administrative Professional's job today requires skills in management functions and technology, including project management, integrated computer software applications, organization and scheduling, Internet/Intranet communications and research, document preparation, storage, and retrieval, with emphasis on electronic record-keeping, customer service, and public relations.

Administrative Professionals are handling a wider variety of duties beyond strictly clerical roles. Today's AP often purchases office equipment and supplies, plans meetings and special events, works closely with vendors and suppliers, creates and gives presentations, interviews, orients and supervises other staff, writes and edits documents, schedules events and facilities, coordinates direct mailings, maintains multiple schedules and calendars, handles messages and correspondence (with voice mail, e-mail, and regular postal mail), maintains computer files, directories, and databases, and more.

A typical day for today's administrative assistant can include:
◦Developing a production report using spreadsheet software
◦Preparing charts, slides, and handouts for a management presentation
◦Corresponding via phone, fax, or e-mail with clients all over the world
◦Researching a topic on the Internet
◦Coordinating a videoconference
◦Scheduling an airline flight and purchasing tickets over the Internet
◦Supervising and training a coworker
◦Effectively representing management at a meeting

Gatlin Education Services Administrative Professional with Microsoft Certified Application Specialist program is designed to give students the valuable skills that will give an edge in the workforce. Our unique program gives students the skills needed to be a successful administrative professional as well as training on the Microsoft Office 2007 Suite of programs and the new Vista operating system. An optional QuickBooks training module is also available. About MCAS training:

The Microsoft Certified Application Specialist Training program is the only comprehensive, performance-based certification program approved by Microsoft to validate business computer skills using Microsoft Windows Vista® and Microsoft Office® productivity software: Excel, Word, Power Point, Access, and Outlook. All of these courses and supporting books have been certified as Microsoft Approved Courseware.

This is a significant change in the certification process. For the past 10 years, all of the Windows training and assessment was in the MSCE Engineering track.

"The new Microsoft Business Certification requirements demonstrate a more realistic view of how computers are used in an office," according to Elizabeth Nofs, Microsoft Office instructor. "For example, when a document doesn’t print, it isn’t a problem that can be fixed in Microsoft Word. It’s about finding the answers in the user’s Windows operating system."

Standards and Alignment
The Microsoft Certified Application Specialist Training program is aligned with the following standards:
◦MOS Microsoft Office Specialist Certification Requirements
◦ISTE NETS standards for Teachers, Administrators and Students
◦Michigan Grade Level Expectations and Benchmarks for 6th grade Technology, Math and Science
Learn now. Earn now. Students who become Microsoft certified earn more (about 12%) than employees who are not certified. In addition, 82% of the students who get certified report getting a raise upon receiving their certification. The Comma Method of Microsoft® Office training was designed to meet the needs of college students, educators, administrators and business professionals. The need for Microsoft Office training is vast -- it is now a requirement in education, as well as in virtually all business, technical and professional jobs. It is a "must" for small business and entrepreneurs. Over 2 million MOS certificates have been issued. Microsoft is currently granting approximately 38,000 certificates per month.

This comprehensive, performance-based program teaches students to be proficient in Microsoft Office 2007: Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, Access, and Windows Vista. The MCAS program provides computer-program literacy, measures proficiency, and identifies opportunities for skills enhancement. Participants receive a certificate of completion from the college upon successful completion of the course. Students are then well prepared to take the Microsoft Certified Application Specialist Tests.

How to Become MCAS Certified: To earn the Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (MCAS) certification for Microsoft Office or Microsoft Project, a student must pass one or more Microsoft certification exams (offered by Microsoft). Office Specialist exams provide a valid and reliable measure of technical proficiency and expertise by evaluating your overall comprehension of Office or Microsoft Project programs, your ability to use their advanced features, and your ability to integrate the Office programs with other software programs. This Microsoft Certified Application Specialist Training program will prepare you to sit for the Microsoft exams.

Note: Students should have these Microsoft products already loaded on your computer in order to take this course: Word 2007, Excel 2007, Access 2007, Outlook 2007, and PowerPoint 2007.

Upon registering, you are given an initial six months to complete the program. Should you need more time, you may request a 6-month extension at no additional charge.