The Championship of Microsoft Excel
It’s perhaps the most recognized and used suite of software in the world, but how well do you really know Microsoft Office – Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the like? A survey states that most Office users only use ten percent of the capacity of the software in their daily work. But for young people, training courses are offered to become proficient in the use of Microsoft Office, and the final examination was held today at the Radisson Fort George Hotel. At stake is a free three-day trip to the international Microsoft Office Specialist Championship in Orlando, Florida. We hear more from the director of Belize’s only certified trainer in Microsoft Office specialization, SAI Info-Tech’s Doctor Kiran Vanjani.
Kiran Vanjani
Dr. Kiran Vanjani, Director, SAI Info-Tech
“There is a world championship which happens every year in the U.S.A. and about one hundred and thirteen countries participate in that every year, and until last year Belize wasn’t participating. So last year, we hosted the first National Championship here in Belize, and the winner then represented the country in Anaheim, California, [for] the World Championship; this year the championship will be in Orlando, [Florida.]”
Aaron Humes
“So what exactly does this entail? I gather those of us know Microsoft Office – Word, Excel, PowerPoint – what are the kids coming in to be tested on?”
Dr. Kiran Vanjani
“It’s a matter of validating their skills. As you said, everybody uses MS Office programs on a daily basis; but according to a survey, most of the users only use ten percent of the features of the Microsoft Office. So we invest in buying the program, but then we don’t use it to the full extent; the thing is, productivity is low, that is the result. So through this certification, what is being achieved that we know all the options correctly, and we can do certain tasks in a given specified time frame. The practical exam the students are taking right now [is] in Excel; last year we did it in PowerPoint, this year we are doing it in Excel. It can be done in three tracks – Word, Excel or PowerPoint, this competition; but certification is also available in other programs as well.”
First place went to Mohit Vanjani, who made a perfect score of one thousand points, followed by Angelo Santos with nine hundred and forty-three points and Michael Waight in third with eight hundred and sixty-eight points. All are students of Belize High School. Belize Christian Academy and Anglican Cathedral College also participated.
