Overview

The Microsoft Elevate America initiative is open to all students and individuals – new to technology or current IT professionals – and was designed by Microsoft Corporation to provide 1 million vouchers for Microsoft e-learning courses and select Microsoft Certification exams at no cost to you. Vouchers are distributed by individual agencies, such as Community Colleges, JobLink Career Centers, and Employment Security Commission offices.

Vouchers

There are three types of vouchers:
(1)  Intermediate Level Training, distributed by JobLink Career Centers and Employment Security Commission Offices
(2)  Advanced IT Level Training, distributed by Community Colleges
(3)  Business Certification Exams, distributed by Community Colleges

A voucher is a product access code you use to access an e-learning course through the Microsoft website, or to complete a certification exam.  You must activate your voucher(s) at www.microsoft.com/ElevateAmerica (via “Redeem a Voucher”) within 90-days of the official NC launch date. Once activated, you will have up to one year to access web-based training in one or more of the Microsoft products available for training. However, certification exams must be completed within 90-days of the NC launch date, and Certiport Testing Centers in North Carolina are listed at www.certiport.com/Portal/Pages/LocatorView.aspx.

Intermediate Training

• MS 2003: Windows XP, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook – to obtain these vouchers see (1) above
• MOS Certification: become a Microsoft Office Specialist by completing all five MOS exams within 90-days of program launch – to obtain these vouchers see (3) above
• MS 2007: Windows Vista, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook – to obtain these vouchers see (1) above
• MCAS Certification: become a Microsoft Certified Application Specialist by completing all five MCAS exams within 90-days of program launch – to obtain these vouchers see (3) above

Advanced Training
(not for certification)

• Windows Vista, Windows Server, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft.NET Framework, Microsoft Visual Studio, Computer Hardware Fundamentals, Networking Fundamentals, XML Fundamentals, Visual Basic or C# Programming, Programming Fundamentals, Database Fundamentals, Computer Desktop Fundamentals, Fundamentals of Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Fundamentals of Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure and Application Platform, Server+, and Security+  – to obtain these vouchers see (2) above

Vouchers Process
Vouchers through CPCC available through February 17, 2010

(1) For an Intermediate Training voucher, visit  https://secure.ncjoblinkmis.com/, or contact your local JobLink Career Center or Employment Security Commission office

(2) For a Certification Exam voucher or an Advanced Training voucher through CPCC, call the Sponsor Desk at 704-330-4237 or 704-330-4236, and provide the requested information to receive your voucher access code

(3) A voucher is activated via Microsoft’s website at www.microsoft.com/elevateamerica  (click Redeem a Voucher)

(4) To complete a certification exam, you can call the CPCC Testing Center at 704-330-6886 to schedule and complete your exam(s) – realize that MOS and MCAS require five vouchers to receive certification status, and must be completed within 90-days

For more information, call 704-330-4237,  or visit the Microsoft Elevate America website at www.microsoft.com/elevateamerica.  This MS initiative is not a CPCC CCE program, so visit cce.cpcc.edu if you are also interested in taking some continuing education classes at CPCC.