National Champions to Represent Canada at Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office
Zijie Zhu and Nam Nguyen are named the Canadian Champions of Microsoft Office Excel and PowerPoint
July 23, 2012 -
CCI Learning Solutions Inc. announced today that Zijie Zhu and Nam Nguyen have won the Canadian National Competition in Microsoft Office Excel and PowerPoint respectively, thus giving them the opportunity to compete in the Certiport Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office, to be held at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada from July 29th to August 1st.
Nam Nguyen from SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary, Alberta is the winner of the Microsoft Office PowerPoint Competition. Nam was the highest scoring student in this category, having competed against thousands of other students across Canada. Similarly, Zijie Zhu, a student at University Hill Secondary School in Vancouver, BC, secured first place in the Microsoft Office Excel Competition. Both students will travel to Las Vegas at the end of the month to represent Canada at the international level.
The Microsoft Office Worldwide Competition, which is an annual event, is open to full time students across Canada who have become Microsoft Office Specialists, which is Microsoft’s official certification for Office applications. The tests are online and performance-based, with candidates completing a number of challenging tasks in either Word, Excel or PowerPoint to demonstrate their exceptional competency in the world's foremost desktop computing applications. The students who achieve the highest score in the fastest time in each category are crowned national champions.
"Earning the title of national champion is an honor for these students, but the real value lies in the workforce skills they have mastered and validated with certification," said Ray Kelly, CEO, Certiport. "Students realize the value of earning a globally-respected Microsoft certification, and the competition provides them with an extra incentive to master the programs and compete at an elite level."
Malcolm Knox, President, CCI Learning Solutions says “Nam and Zijie have proven that they have the skills to help them succeed in their post-secondary and professional careers. Students from all over the world participate in this exciting competition, and we are all very proud and delighted to have such capable competitors representing Canada at the Worldwide Competition in Las Vegas. The event also provides an opportunity for them to network with other students and future global business counterparts.”
Nam’s achievements in the Microsoft Office Worldwide Competition are also a success for SAIT. This institution is an Authorized Testing Center for Microsoft Office Specialist and Microsoft Technology Associate certifications and has shown great commitment to ensuring that their students come away with an internationally recognized qualification that will facilitate success in today’s academic and professional markets.
Additionally, Zijie took advantage of Langara College's walk-in testing center and completed his exam at the Langara College campus in Vancouver, BC. Both SAIT and Langara College are two of the official CCI Premier Locations for competition entry.
At the Microsoft Office Worldwide Competition, national winners will compete to become the Microsoft Office Worldwide Champion for Word, Excel or PowerPoint by taking a Microsoft Office Specialist exam designed specifically for the competition finals. As part of the event, this year’s participants will experience various cultural and relationship building activities as well as attend an awards banquet celebrating the achievements of all contestants in the area of desktop computing proficiency.
ABOUT CCI LEARNING SOLUTIONS
CCI Learning Solutions offers complete solutions for teaching and validating essential skills needed in today's workplace. As an industry leader, its extensive services and products include pre-assessment software; approved courseware for instructor led classes, e-learning courses and blended training solutions. In addition to being a Microsoft Academy Service Partner in North America, CCI is also a Platinum Certiport Solution Provider, distributing Microsoft Office Specialist, Microsoft Technology Associate, Adobe Certified Associate, Autodesk Certified User, HP Accredited Technical Associate and Internet and Computing Core (IC³) certifications. For more information, please visit
www.ccilearning.com or follow CCI on Twitter at
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Press Contact: Alanna Clark CCI Learning Solutions 1.800.668.1669 ext. 223 aclark@ccilearning.com