We are delighted to announce that we are now an accredited Microsoft centre able to offer many aspects of the Microsoft IT Academy Program.

MS Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST)

The North Highland College is now able to offer the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician qualification as part of the newly restructured Higher National Certificate in Computing. This will mean that the students will not only gain a valuable academic qualification but that they will also receive an industry standard professional qualification.

The course is available on a full time basis over one academic year, or a part time / day release over a longer period. A range of units is available on a blended learning basis which may include evening, twilight, flexible, or home study. The course will be based at our Thurso and Alness sites.

The mix of units available has been designed to cover the needs of a modern computer professional with the course content covering a range of computing subjects, and their application in the workplace. Students are able to gain both academic and industrial qualifications which are widely recognised as valuable by employers in the computing industry.

The MCDST certification ensures students have the skills to successfully troubleshoot desktop environments running on the Microsoft Windows operating system. Earning a Microsoft certification acknowledges a student's expertise in working with Microsoft products and technologies. The IT industry, employers, clients, and peers universally recognise the MCDST credential as a symbol of the level of skill and knowledge attained.

Candidates who earn the MCDST certification receive many benefits : An MCDST Welcome Kit, access to technical and product information directly from Microsoft, access to exclusive discounts on products and services from selected companies, invitations to Microsoft hosted events, technical training sessions, and access to security enhanced content from Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine Online.

The MCDST qualification - which can also be studied as a standalone programme, is made up of two Microsoft courses, 'Supporting Users Running the Microsoft Windows XP Operating System' and 'Supporting Users Running Applications on a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System.' Candidates are then required to pass two associated Microsoft core exams to achieve the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) qualification and become a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP).

For more information on this course please contact our admissions department by clicking here.