The Microsoft IT Academy Program can provide benefits to all parts of a school or college. Here are a few of the core functions and the potential benefits that will be most relevant.

Here is a set of current questions which the UK Academic and Education teams have received..

The Head of School

· I need to present my school as being an attractive selection for parents and to make a significant contribution to the wider community

· I have seen the Microsoft IT Academy advertised but I can’t see how it would benefit our school

· We aren’t really delivering many IT subjects, so how would it help us?

· The budget is very tight so can we afford it?

A member of The Governing Body

· Our school should be seen as progressive and modern

· We must be able to meet budgets

· We have a wider brief in the community

· We have a responsibility to students and parents

A Parent

· I expect my children’s school to be progressive and aligned to industry and the labour market

· Can the school help to develop my IT skills?

· Will my children have a clearly defined progression route if they choose IT as a subject

· Is it a quality controlled progam and will it lead to sound industry work skills

A Student

· I expect my school to be progressive and linked to real life employment skills

· I want more from IT than just hardware – perhaps some excitement with new technologies

· Are there creative programs that might help me be employed?

· Could I explore a wide range of technologies?

The Curriculum Manager

· Is the supply of materials cost effective?

· I need a comprehensive solution to reduce the overhead for the teaching staff

· Are there programs of learning and certifications at all levels

· Will the curriculum be just for the IT tutor or can we use it throughout the school?

The IT Tutor

· We teach user and technical skills

· Can we deliver globally recognized certifications?

· Will the curriculum save me time and money?

· Can I get qualified myself?

The Science (or any other) Tutor

· We use spreadsheets to record information, so will it help my students?

· I need to know what IT skills my students have at the moment

· I could possibly improve my class room delivery if I used the newer features of presentation software

· I need to understand new technologies to develop learning solutions with my students

The IT Manager

· We are upgrading our technology and I need to refresh the IT skills of our team

· Could I become a Microsoft Certified Trainer?

· Could we develop cost reductions through the use of new technologies?

· We must keep current!

A Teaching Assistant

· I need to maintain and improve my skills to develop my career

· Can I reach a basic level of IT literacy so that I can build on these skills?

· I now have to use e-mail

· It would be good to achieve academic or vocational qualifications

The School administration office

· I have been asked to produce marketing material to promote our IT capability

· We mainly use Microsoft Office programs and we need to understand about databases

· How can we check the IT Skills of new entrants?

· It would be good if there was a clear progression route in IT skills

The Facilities Manager

· If all my team used e-mail we could share calendars

· I came in to this role for my service skills, but now I find I need to multi-task and be fully IT literate

· I have already completed a vocational course, perhaps there are IT certifications or similar qualifications

· I have been asked to look at the cabling, so it would be good to understand networking!

The Vocational Tutor

· My students need to be work ready – some will need advanced technology or IT user skills

· Is there mapping between Microsoft certifications and vocational Units?

· It’s the fundamental skills that the students need before they enter the workplace or the next steps in education

· It would be good if there was a basics course and perhaps some understanding of everyday technologies

The Community Team

· We can make best use of our resources by spreading our skills in to the community and adding value to the school from those contacts

· Our charter expects us to make the campus available for all

· We have excellent contact with parents and relatives, many who need basic IT literacy skills so that they can use our web site/portal/e-mail

· Are there opportunities to generate revenue and goodwill?

Here the solutions/answers to some of these questions

Within UK Academia, there are large areas of crossover, and opportunities which exist for innovative use of the ITA membership.

This list just represents a starting point and helps address the concerns and question raised by the stakeholders listed above!

Head of School	· Global brand associated with technology · Gain access to resources that will help you save time and money. · Sector and industry alignment · Opportunities for networking · Vendor certification opportunities · Increase your students’ employability with relevant technology courses that help them get jobs · complimentary enrollment in the Microsoft Certified Trainer program · A 60 percent discount on the Full Microsoft E-Reference Library · Academic pricing on Microsoft Certification exams. · Complimentary subscription to Microsoft DreamSpark Premium · Up to 100 free lab licenses · Complimentary Microsoft TechNet Subscription · Marketing resources to help you promote your IT Academy	Governing Body	· Global brand associated with technology · Gain access to resources that will help you save time and money. · Sector and industry alignment · Marketing resources to help you promote your IT Academy · Essential computer skills training with Microsoft Digital Literacy
Students	· Global brand associated with technology · Sector and industry alignment · Increase your employability with relevant technology courses that help get jobs · Essential computer skills training with Microsoft Digital Literacy · Sector and industry alignment · Complimentary subscription to Microsoft DreamSpark Premium · Vendor certification opportunities	Parents	· Global brand associated with technology · Sector and industry alignment · Increase of students’ employability with relevant technology courses that help them get jobs · Essential computer skills training with Microsoft Digital Literacy
IT curriculum tutors	· Unlimited access to E-Learning portfolio courses · The ability to administer content and manage your students’ progress · Offer educators and other staff members the opportunity to enhance their own professional development. · Educator resources such as downloadable and customizable lesson plans · Academic pricing on Microsoft Official Academic Courses (MOAC) · Academic pricing on Microsoft Official Courseware (MOC). · Academic pricing on Microsoft Certification exams. · One complimentary subscription to Microsoft DreamSpark Premium · Complimentary enrollment in the Microsoft Certified Trainer program	Non-IT curriculum tutors	· Offer educators and other staff members the opportunity to enhance their own professional development. · Unlimited access to E-Learning portfolio courses · The ability to administer content and manage your students’ progress · Essential computer skills training with Microsoft Digital Literacy
IT Support staff	· Offer educators and other staff members the opportunity to enhance their own professional development. · complimentary enrollment in the Microsoft Certified Trainer program · Academic pricing on Microsoft Official Academic Courses (MOAC) · Academic pricing on Microsoft Official Courseware (MOC). · Academic pricing on Microsoft Certification exams. · One complimentary subscription to Microsoft DreamSpark Premium · Up to 100 lab licenses · Complimentary Microsoft TechNet Subscription	Teaching Assistants	· Offer educators and other staff members the opportunity to enhance their own professional development. · Essential computer skills training with Microsoft Digital Literacy · Educator resources such as downloadable and customizable lesson plans
Administrative staff	· Offer educators and other staff members the opportunity to enhance their own professional development. · Gain access to resources that will help you save time and money. · Essential computer skills training with Microsoft Digital Literacy · Marketing resources to help you promote your IT Academy Vendor certification opportunities · Vendor certification opportunities	Curriculum managers	· Gain access to resources that will help you save time and money. · Unlimited access to E-Learning portfolio courses · The ability to administer content and manage your students’ progress · Essential computer skills training with Microsoft Digital Literacy · A 60 percent discount on the Full E-Reference Library · Academic pricing on Microsoft Official Academic Courses (MOAC) · Academic pricing on Microsoft Official Courseware (MOC). · Academic pricing on Microsoft Certification exams. · Five complimentary annual subscriptions to the Full E-Reference Library · One complimentary subscription to Microsoft DreamSpark Premium · Educator resources such as downloadable and customizable lesson plans · Marketing resources to help you promote your IT Academy
Facilities staff	· Offer educators and other staff members the opportunity to enhance their own professional development. · Essential computer skills training with Microsoft Digital Literacy	Vocational tutors	· Increase your students’ employability with relevant technology courses that help them get jobs · Gain access to resources that will help you save time and money. · Unlimited access to E-Learning portfolio courses · Essential computer skills training with Microsoft Digital Literacy · One complimentary subscription to Microsoft DreamSpark Premium · Educator resources such as downloadable and customizable lesson plans
Community programs	· Essential computer skills training with Microsoft Digital Literacy · Academic pricing on Microsoft Certification exams. · One complimentary subscription to Microsoft DreamSpark Premium · Marketing resources to help you promote your IT Academy

Mapping Professional Curricula and certification to course and awards

Please see the following QCF Mapping of Microsoft Certification/Courses to Related Awarding Body and Qualifications

Get Help Implementing a Microsoft Certification Program

Now is the time to implement a Microsoft Certification program to help your students validate what they’ve learned. Your local Microsoft Academy Service Partner (MASP) can help.

Your local Microsoft Academy Service Partner (MASP) can help you establish a Microsoft Certification program that’s right for your institution. Whether you want to become a testing center to help students get certified on campus or promote the benefits of Microsoft Certification and refer students to another testing location, your local MASP can help you turn your plans into reality for more details contact our Education MASP Mike Evans, Director – ITSkillsman, www.itskillsman.co.uk