Imagine Academy in-person sessions are being held weekly 1pm to 5pm on Wednesdays. New customers should make an appointment with a Workforce Professional to receive a referral if interested.
Imagine Academy is a program offered by the Kansas Board of Regents. The Workforce Center has purchased 500 licenses to administer Microsoft Certifications to the public at no charge (normal charge through Microsoft is $96 per test). The Wichita Workforce Center is the only Workforce Center in Area IV that can administer these free certifications; however, customers may self-study or practice at any Workforce Center in the region. Due to the local employer demand for these skills, the Wichita Workforce Center is currently offering practice sessions and testing for Microsoft Office Suite 2013 and 2016 (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Access, OneNote, SharePoint).
For those interested in attending Microsoft Office or any of our other workshops, please visit the Workshops page.
Click here to view the Imagine Academy flyer
Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) overview
Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) provides industry-leading assessments of skills and knowledge through our new project-based testing, giving students and professionals real-world exercises to appraise their understanding of Microsoft Office. This guarantees that every certified user has demonstrated the ability to command the full features and functionality of Microsoft Office, preparing them for future academic or workforce opportunities. This certification is a recognized credential actually awarded by Microsoft to successful test-takers to recognize their proficiency with their Office programs.
Value of Microsoft Office Specialist certification
- For students, MOS boosts academic performance and preps them for college and career
- For jobseekers, MOS bolsters resumes and improves marketability and earning potential
- For educators, MOS courses provide targeted training and support every step of the way
- For Administrators, MOS improves institutional results
Imagine Academy Sessions
The Imagine Academy offers additional practice to prepare customers for the certification exam. The sessions are self-paced and geared toward the certification with a facilitator present to assist you with questions; because of this, customers should be fairly proficient with the Microsoft programs. Once a customer completes the Basic Career Services Eligibility process, they can be referred by Workforce Center staff for the Imagine Academy practice sessions and certification exams. Sessions and certification testing are typically held on Mondays between 1 pm – 5 pm.
Certification Test
Participants must pass the pre-test for their chosen program (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) with an 85% or higher in order to take the certification exam.
For more information on Imagine Academy, contact us.
The following are useful for self-study:
Independent Study Resource sheet features descriptions and links to online resources for self-study.
Workforce Center Microsoft Office Workshop bundles:
Follow along with the recorded workshops (if available) using the lesson guide and practice documents.
Microsoft Word
Intermediate Microsoft Word recorded workshop
Intermediate Microsoft Word Lesson Guide
Practice Documents
Advanced Microsoft Word Lesson Guide
Practice Documents
Microsoft Excel
Intermediate Microsoft Excel recorded workshop
Intermediate Microsoft Excel Lesson Guide
Practice Documents
Advanced Microsoft Excel Lesson Guide
Practice Documents
Microsoft PowerPoint