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Recently we were speaking to a person who was seeking appropriate Microsoft
industry certification for the role of a technician for a couple of
hardware vendors. He was told that he needed to have MCSE (Microsoft
Certified System Engineer) certification before they would employ him in
what was primarily a computer technician’s role. How ridiculous!
A MCSE is a person who typically would have 10 years experience in designing and building networks and has a deep understanding of Microsoft technology. I would estimate at this time fewer than 15 people are MCSE in Tasmania in Windows 2000 or Windows 2003. By insisting on this level of industry certification organisations are totally misrepresenting the certification and are plainly unaware of what is appropriate certification for particular jobs. The Quill Consultancy agrees that when employing both qualifications and experience are important but care needs to be exercised in advising the appropriateness of particular qualifications. Microsoft has just announced the release of a new certification called the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician which better matches the job requirements of a technician and many similar roles that exist in the employment market place. The Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) credential proves that an individual has the skills to successfully support end users and to successfully troubleshoot desktop environments running on the Microsoft Windows® operating systems. The Quill Consultancy acknowledges that technicians needs more that "technician" skills these days. The following summarises the skills a good technician needs these days: |
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Traditionally a technician may have been employed for this type of role by having completed the CompTia A+, Network+ certification and/or CCNA Certification from Cisco or a Certificate III or Certificate IV in Information Technology. The gap in their knowledge has been a lack of understanding of the operating system and applications most likely to be found on a typical computer. This gap is less for a person who has completed the Certificate III or Certificate IV type courses but the assessment mechanisms used for certificate based courses may not be ideal due to the lack of separation between the teaching process and the assessment process. The roles are typically performed by the same person (ie the teacher) who may have a vested interest in ensuring that students are successful. Microsoft has introduced the MCSDT certification to provide independent ratification of skills. Traditionally many people entering the IT workforce do so by filling positions on either a helpdesk or provide support for desktops. Yet when organisations employ someone in these roles the applicants are typically people with limited experience. By creating this certification, Microsoft will allow employers to better target new staff who have successfully completed an independent process of assessment of relevant skills, this should also be attractive to existing staff currently in these roles. Organisations need qualified entry-level professionals to support the Microsoft Windows Desktop Operating System environments. In addition, demand for support specialists is expected to grow more than 90% between now and 2010. The MCDST certification and MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist) certifications validate the fundamental skills needed to enter the IT industry as a desktop support professional. The desktop support technician role should be to help end-users be more productive with Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office and ensure that basic hardware and network services are functioning. The MCDST certification provides a framework for learning and validating the skills that support technicians need ie the use of excellent customer service skills, education of users, the ability to solve hardware or software issues and to deal with application problems on the desktop. Microsoft have developed training courses that are consistent with IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) foundational operations. Many organisations are now realising the importance of the methodologies offered by ITIL and MOF as fundamental to the delivery of quality IT services. |
MCDST RequirementsMicrosoft recommends that a MCDST candidate should have six months of experience working with a desktop operating system. MCDST candidates are required to pass two core exams. Elective exams are not required.
Instructor Lead CoursesInstructor lead courses are available that match these exams namely:
If you have any queries about these training courses please contact David Briggs at The Quill Consultancy. |