* Training news from Microsoft, (ISC)2, IBM
There are two sets of items today that I want to talk about: some news concerning the Microsoft Certified Professional program and news that will interest hiring managers and computing students.
First, if you’re an MCP, mark your calendar for Oct. 25 as Microsoft will air a Webcast entitled “New Generation of Certifications.” The Webcast, which will be presented live at 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. PT, will detail the new credentials and certification paths for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and Visual Studio 2005.
There is little available from Microsoft about what will be in the Webcast, but there is an excellent article in CertCities.com that details changes in the Microsoft Certification Program. According to the article, “Microsoft will introduce a framework for certification that will pair up a credential with a skill-identifying certification based on a tiered approach.”
The article suggests that that there are three tiers: Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist, which will require passing one of three Microsoft technology exams; Microsoft Certified IT Professional or Professional Developer, which require a Technology Specialist certification, plus one to three more exams; and the Microsoft Certified Architect, which we talked about last July.
It’s not known yet, how or whether the tiers would affect the MCSA and MCSE credentials.
The second set of items will be of interest to computing students. The International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2, which runs the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is accepting applications for the Annual (ISC)2 Security Scholarship Program for 2006. The program offers $50,000 in financial assistance to post-graduate students who are conducting information-security research projects.
One-year scholarships of up to $12,500 apiece will be awarded to four qualifying full-time post-graduate students pursuing an advanced degree in information security at any accredited university worldwide, the group says. The scholarships may be consecutively renewed if all criteria have been met, or for multiple research projects. The deadline for submission is Nov. 30. More information is at the Information Security Scholarship Web page.
Meanwhile, IBM is on the hunt for Ph.D. students for the IBM Ph.D. Fellowship Program for 2006. IBM is offering tuition, fees, a stipend for $17,500 for one academic year and a ThinkPad. “Fellowship award winners are matched with an IBM mentor according to their technical interests, and they are encouraged to intern at an IBM research or development laboratory under their mentor’s guidance,” IBM says. The deadline for nominations is near – Oct. 31. More information can be found at the program’s Web site.
If you’re a manager looking to hire college and university students, IBM has launched the IBM Academic Initiative Student Opportunity System where students worldwide can post their resumes. The “virtual career center” will be made available to IBM clients and business partners. Students are eligible to post to the system if they’ve passed at least one IBM Professional Certifications. More information can be found at IBM’s jobs and fellowships page.
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