It’s a new year and we’re so happy to be back with a new episode of the CERTIFIED podcast. In this week’s episode, we wanted to talk about money, both for you and your students. We’re diving into ACE credit and Perkins funding with Certiport’s Vanessa Buffry, Senior Manager of Strategic Funding. 

Vanessa Buffry and her team identify funding sources to support educators and workforce initiatives, track policy that governs and enhances certification quality, and ensure certifications meet workforce, industry, and customer needs. Her previous work experience included teaching high school, serving as a school board director, and directing non-profit education initiatives that merited her recognition as a 30 Under 30 (Pittsburgh, 2021). Vanessa holds an MS in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon. Vanessa is based in Denver, CO with her family. She is certified in Professional Communication, Pearson Gen AI Foundations, Intuit Personal Finance, and next plans to conquer MOS Excel Associate and Expert. 

Vanessa walks us through the details of ACE credit, and how this can be a huge money and time saver for students looking to pursue higher education. She also shares details about Perkins funding, and how states, districts, and educators can be leveraging this funding in their classrooms. Looking for details on how to access more funding in 2025? This episode is for you. 

Learn more about ACE credit: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Learner-resources/College-Credit.aspx. 

Interested in connecting with your Certiport Territory Manager to talk about Perkins funding? Contact them here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Buy/School. 

Connect with your fellow educators to talk about funding and other topics in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here:  

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.  

Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.   

Discover how digital literacy paves the way for a successful IT support career. In this episode, captured during a recent CERTIFIED Academy training, we explore the importance of digital literacy skills with CERTIFIED Ambassador, Jessie Kalloo. 

Jessie Kalloo is a CTE Instructor and Program Approval Coordinator for the Information Technology programs at Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School located in Jamaica, Queens, New York. Jessie is also a Cisco Networking Academy Instructor Trainer for IT Essentials, CCNA, CCNA Security, and CCNA CyberOps covering areas throughout the United States. Being a product of CTE as a graduate of Thomas Edison High has provided him the opportunity to view teaching through a different lens. Through the various partnerships he has formed with the industry he is able to inspire, motivate and provide opportunities to his students that truly help them prepare for their future. The training he has done in and out of the classroom combined with his unique approach to teaching, has allowed for creative ways to spark the curiosity in students, helping them continuously challenge themselves to do better.

Jessie shares how basic technical problem-solving, hardware and software knowledge, and strong communication skills are pivotal for IT support professionals. We discuss how digital literacy not only helps in adapting to new technologies but also in navigating diverse digital environments. A large percentage of IT professionals start their careers in IT support roles, and this episode offers valuable insights and practical advice to help you effectively support this career trajectory.

Learn more about our IC3 Digital Literacy certification program here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/IC3/Digital-Literacy-Certification/Overview. 

Connect with your fellow educators, like Jessie, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: 

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/. 

Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.  

The Health Sciences sector employs approximately 16 million people in the U.S. alone and is expected to grow by 13% from 2022 to 2032, which is faster than the averages for other employment sectors. The new Health Sciences Careers program provides students with the foundational knowledge needed to prepare for in demand roles in the Health Sciences field.

In this episode, we sat down with Caroline Manning to talk all things healthcare. Caroline Manning is a Medical Administrative Assistant for Easter Seals in Florida. She has used her professional experience to help ensure that Certiport’s Medical Administrative Assistant certification certifies that candidates have the knowledge and skills required to be successful in the role.

Caroline shares her insights on our newest certification, plus dives into her experience working in the healthcare industry. We discuss what skills learners need to thrive. Preparing students for careers in health science? This episode is a great peek into our new program.

Learn more about the Health Sciences Careers program: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Health/Certification/Overview. 

Connect with your fellow educators in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/. 

Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.

Artificial intelligence (AI) usage continues to grow, but many educators are still awaiting training on effective use of AI in the classroom. According to a survey from EdWeek, only 43% of educators surveyed had received any training on AI. If you’re in the other 57%, or even just looking to learn more about AI and maybe take the fear out of this new technology, we’re here to help. 

In this episode, we learn from AI expert and CEO, Joshua Wohle. Joshua is CEO at Mindstone, a practical AI training platform for non-technical people, helping them do more and better work, in less time, by using AI in their daily jobs. Previously, Joshua was a co-founder & CPTO at SuperAwesome, which became one of the biggest kids' technology companies in the world before being acquired by Epic Games.

Together we dive into the reason Joshua decided to create Mindstone, and how his team is helping educators get more comfortable with AI technology. We discuss the rapid disruptions caused by generative AI, and how educators can and should use it as a tool in their classrooms. Plus, we learn about new resources to get your feet wet and how to make AI learning fun and low stress. If you’re new to AI, or one of the many teachers looking for training about AI in the classroom, this is for you. 

Looking for more opportunities to learn about AI? Joshua recommends starting with Ethan Mollik’s book, Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI and Stephen M. Kosslyn’s book, Active Learning with AI. 

Check out Mindstone’s tools and resources here: https://www.mindstone.com/. 

Learn more about our new Critical Career Skills Generative AI Foundations exam here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/CCS/Certification/Certify/Generative-AI-Foundations. 

Connect with your fellow educators in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.

Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.

Security threats and nefarious tactics from hackers are on the rise, demanding more awareness and vigilance online. According to an IBM study of over 150 billion daily security events in more than 130 countries, there was a 71% year-over-year increase in cyberattacks that used stolen or compromised data. Helping learners understand what jobs are available for cybersecurity professionals is of paramount importance to combat the rise in cyberattacks.

In this week’s episode, we’re sharing portions of our latest CERTIFIED Academy: IT webinar. We met with a team of cybersecurity experts from Microsoft: Brodie Cassell, Principal Cybersecurity Consultant; Rod Trent, Senior Program Manager Security/AI; Edward Walton, Microsoft Global Black Belt – Security; and Raae Wolfram, Senior Product Manager, Security. 

Our Microsoft experts share their insights and tips for breaking into this rapidly expanding field. We dive into their professional experiences, key lessons they’ve learned, and effective strategies for educators to inspire learners to pursue these in-demand career opportunities. You’ll get valuable insights and practical advice on navigating the dynamic world of cybersecurity professionals.

Learn more about teaching cybersecurity here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2024/October/Secure-our-world-for-Cybersecurity-Awareness-Month. 

Connect with your fellow educators in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/. 

Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.  

The AI revolution has left many educators wondering how this disruptive technology will impact their students’ future careers. Today, human resources leaders believe that nearly 90% of their workforce will need to be reskilled in the next five years. Preparing students to embrace AI and add these skills to their creative toolbelt will put them ahead of those late adopters. If you’re wondering how you can prepare your students to leverage AI technology, particularly in creative and design fields, then Chana Messer is here to help. 

Chana Messer is an artist, consultant, and Adobe Education Leader who has been teaching Fine Art and Digital Imaging at the university level for over 30 years. She has taught and mentored students at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and most recently, at FIDM. She has led hundreds of design workshops and bootcamps through General Assembly. Chana is a subject matter expert who has helped to write and develop the Adobe Certified Professional certification exams. 

In this episode, we talk with Chana about the growth of AI and how it’s impacting current designers and creative professionals. Chana walks through simple ideas for using AI in the classroom, and even discusses tools from Adobe that can give students a safe place to experiment with AI in their designs and creative projects. With Chana, you’ll discover how you can broaden your students’ creative abilities. 

Ready to test Adobe’s AI technology? Learn more at firefly.adobe.com. 

Connect with your fellow educators, like Chana, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.

Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.

In the real world, professionals need to have multiple tools in their design toolbelts. Understanding how to leverage numerous applications for one project can be a challenge. 

For this week’s episode, we’re revisiting a previous CERTIFIED Academy: Design webinar to learn from industry professional, Charles Hache. Charles is an indie game developer and adjunct instructor for game design at Adrian College. Charles holds an MFA in game development and prepares students with knowledge in coding and design. 

In this episode, we learn all about how Charles creates and designs in the real world. He shares how to help learners see which tools are best for various needs, and how you can help students connect more than one application to create more effective results in their design creations. 

Learn more about teaching Unity and game design in the classroom: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/Unity.  

Connect with your fellow educators, like Charles, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.

Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.

According to The Culinary Pro, the foodservice industry is the largest retail employment sector in the world. Bringing in over USD 700 billion annually in the U.S., this career path provides individuals with ample opportunities for jobs and career growth. To help your students prepare to succeed in the accommodations and food service industry, Certiport has launched the Hospitality and Culinary Arts Careers program. 

In this episode, we sat down with Gaven Ferguson to talk all things hospitality. Gaven is an international business advisor, mentor, and serial entrepreneur, always focusing on helping others to look outside the box and make their dreams a reality. He’s the author of “The Business Procrastinator”, and currently works as a Professor of Industry for Hospitality and Tourism Management at UCSI University in Malaysia. Gaven is an expert in the culinary arts industry, and most recently, lent his expertise in the creation of our newest certification program. 

Gaven shares his insights on our newest certification, plus dives into his experience working for the World Association of Master Chefs. We discuss trends in the accommodations and culinary industries, and what skills learners need to thrive. Preparing students for careers in hospitality? This episode is a great peek into our new program. 

Learn more about the Hospitality and Culinary Arts Careers program: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/HCAC/Certification/Overview. 

Connect with your fellow educators, like Gaven, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.

Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.

Career and technical education (CTE) can transform the workforce landscape. Teaching workforce specific skills helps learners find a career specific pathway that leverages their passion and talents. But how can you get others in your school, community, and beyond to see the value of CTE? 

We sat down with Jennifer Stubblefield to discuss how you can advocate for your CTE program. A 27-year veteran of a Business Education classroom in Kentucky, Jennifer Stubblefield specializes in teaching courses that lead to industry certifications. Her classroom efforts have led to the development of an award-winning, public high school program that is recognized on the state and national levels for outstanding achievements and high rates of success on state-mandated business education tests and industry certification exams. 

Jennifer is a frequent speaker at conferences both in the educational and corporate arenas, where she is known for her high-energy, interactive, and motivational workshops. She loves to "train the trainer" and can also be found in her local community training small businesses in the areas of soft skills, technology, and digital literacy foundations. After retiring from her classroom position, she accepted a position as the Customer Success Manager for Certiport where she works with teachers across the U.S. as they strive to develop certification programs in various areas.

In this episode, Jennifer shares how you can get students, parents, community members, and your administration excited about CTE. We also discuss the importance of connecting with local businesses, and how you can secure the funding you need for your classroom. In her trademark frank and fun way, Jennifer will help you see just how amazing your program can be if you just infuse it with a little energy and effort. 

Learn more about the value of CTE on the Certiport blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/May/Promoting-the-Value-of-CTE. 

Ready to learn more or looking for additional advice? Connect with Jennifer via email: [email protected]. 

Connect with your fellow educators, like Jennifer, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.

Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.

Each year, we are so excited to recognize one of our customers as our CERTIFIED Educator of the Year as part of our annual CERTIFIED Educator Conference. We work with so many incredible educators, all of whom deserve recognition for their dedication and efforts. We're pleased to announce that Jenny Mohess is our 2024 CERTIFIED Educator of the Year!

Originally from Trinidad & Tobago, Jenny Mohess has lived in Osceola County, FL for over 22 years. She first stepped onto Valencia’s Campus in 2000 as an international student. There she earned an A.S. in Graphic Design. While working for Apple, she earned a bachelor’s in business from the University of South Florida, and master’s in art education from Boston University. These experiences led to jobs at Apple, Microsoft, and eventually, her own design studio. Jenny currently teaches at Valencia College and has found genuine purpose in mentoring future graphic/web designers through the Valencia Graphics Program. She is now building the program at Tohopekaliga High School and sharing real-world experiences with her students.

In this episode, we talked with Jenny about CERTIFIED, being named CERTIFIED Educator of the Year, and her experience both in and out of the classroom. She discusses her passion for teaching, and how she overcomes the challenges she faces in education. Plus, she shares her advice for building personal and lasting relationships with her students. 

Learn more about Jenny on the blog (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2024/June/2024-CERTIFIED-Eduator-of-the-Year) and on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qoERZFVcGQ). You can also connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenartdesignstudio/. 

Connect with your fellow educators, like Jenny, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.

Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.