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April 25, 2003

UMBC Training Responds to Demand for Microsoft .NET Application Development Skills

The UMBC Computer Certification Training Center (CCTC), an operating division of UMBC Training Centers, LLC, the University's commercial workforce development operation, has launched a new "Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD)" program in response to an increasing need for IT professionals trained in Microsoft's recently released .NET application development platform.

"This program and credential are really most appropriate for the professional interested in the back-end, production-side of the software development cycle," says Doug Kendzierski, President/CEO of UMBC's training companies, and an Associate Vice-Provost at UMBC.

Microsoft's website promotes the credential comparably, emphasizing the certification for individuals interested in "developing, testing, deploying, and maintaining department-level applications, components, Web or desktop clients, or database and network services using Microsoft tools and technologies."

"Windows and Web-based applications remain the current and future standard of programming," says Kendzierski. "As the economy rebounds, the number of shops re-investing in this latest evolution of the Visual Studio products is going to explode exponentially. Even during these slower economic times, development shops simply can't find enough programmers with .NET experience, and it is literally crippling these organizations' ability to respond to task orders."

The MCAD sequence at UMBC is structured as three modules, which can be taken together or independently, much like CCTC's MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) offering. The total program length is 168 hours, making it one of the longer and more intensive offerings at the UMBC Center.

Kendzierski justifies the length as "necessary to truly validate the transfer of knowledge with these sophisticated tools. CCTC clients coming out of here with the MCAD certification will possess hardcore proof that they know their stuff in a market desperate for these skill-sets, and these same individuals will be in very high-demand."

Additional coverage within the UMBC MCAD program includes ADO.NET, ASP.NET, XML Web Services, and building COM+ applications using Microsoft .NET Enterprise Services. The non-credit training program is designed for current developers with Visual Basic experience, and includes such amenities as Microsoft Official Courseware (MOC), retake privileges, VUE exam vouchers, and Transcender simulation exam licenses.

Initial sections of the MCAD program will begin in late Spring 2003, and registrations are currently being accepted.

About UMBC Training Centers:

The UMBC Computer Certification Training Center (CCTC) is a Microsoft Certified Partner, Sun Authorized Education Center, and a member of the Oracle Workforce Development Initiative. In addition, CCTC is a CIW Authorized Training Partner, Discreet Training Center, CompTIA Partner, VUE & Prometric Authorized Testing Center, and an Approved Transcender Training Partner.

A national leader in technology education, UMBC established the CCTC to deliver technology training and industry-standard certification programs for individuals, businesses, government agencies and organizations in the Baltimore-Washington corridor. The UMBC CCTC is located at 3108 Lord Baltimore Drive, Executive Park West in the Windsor Mill Business Community of Baltimore County, just off Exit 17/18 of the Baltimore Beltway. The Center offers instructor-led and web-based training programs, with part-time, full-time, evening, weekend and weekday classes. For further information on any IT training programs at UMBC, contact (410) 594-2282, or visit the training website at www.umbc.edu/cctc.

Posted by dwinds1 at April 25, 2003 12:00 AM