Certiport to Induct U.S. Job Corps Director Esther Johnson into Champions of Digital Literacy Hall of Fame

SALT LAKE CITY--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Certiport today announced Dr. Esther Johnson, director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Job Corps, will be recognized for her efforts in promoting digital literacy through earning industry certification. Johnson has been selected for induction with five others into this year’s Champions of Digital Literacy Hall of Fame.

“Certiport’s standards-based certification programs prepare them to succeed in the Digital Age workforce.”

“Job Corps’ focus is to meet the real-world work requirements of today’s employers,” said Dr. Johnson. “By achieving industry-recognized credentials our at-promise youth are made ready to join the workforce of the 21^st Century.”

Students at Job Corps who successfully complete foundational finance and business courses in math, business English, keyboarding and communications can earn the industry-recognized credential Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC³®) and can go on to other business or finance specialties. Students on the office assistant career track can take and pass exams that will eventually earn them Microsoft Office Specialist Word, Excel® and PowerPoint® credentials, with an option to earn the certification for Microsoft Access®.

“Over the last few years, Job Corps has taken major steps in setting the bar for job readiness among students,” said Ray Kelly, president and CEO of Certiport. “Certiport’s standards-based certification programs prepare them to succeed in the Digital Age workforce.”

Job Corps first updated its career and technical training programs with industry-identified skills based on certification programs delivered by Certiport in April 2007. Since that time, the adoption of Certiport IC³ and Microsoft Office Specialist programs among Job Corps centers has nearly doubled to include 115 centers (or 92 percent of centers overall). Approximately 10,000 students annually are impacted by the enhanced curriculum.

Job Corps offers youth 16-24 free education and training in more than 75 disciplines at 123 centers nationwide.

Dr. Johnson and others will be welcomed into the Hall of Fame preceding the announcement at the Certiport PATHWAYS™ 2009 international conference. To learn more about Champions of Digital Literacy or to access the individual stories of this year’s inductees into the Hall of Fame, go to www.certiport.com/champions.

Certiport IC³ is endorsed by CompTIA as the foundational credential for all other technical certifications, aligned with NETS computing standards for students and teachers from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and recommended for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE). Since 1998, Microsoft Office Specialist has been the official certification for the Microsoft Office suite of applications. Microsoft Office Specialist is designed to prove proficiency in the programs that have become the standard for businesses around the world.

Currently, more than 6.7 million Certiport certification exams have been taken worldwide, making Certiport credentials some of the largest certification programs in the world.

ABOUT CERTIPORT

Certiport prepares individuals and communities with current and relevant digital skills and credentials for the competitive global workforce. These solutions include Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC³®) and the Microsoft® Office Specialist certification programs delivered by more than 12,000 Certiport Centers worldwide. For more information, visit www.certiport.com.

"Certiport" and "IC³" are registered trademarks of Certiport, Inc. in the United States and other countries. "Microsoft" is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.