For high school students preparing to enter the workforce or pursue higher education, having a basic understanding of office software is no longer a “nice to have” skill. More and more office software is used by entry level employees and professors to help students organize assignments. Being fluent in Office software like Microsoft Excel and Outlook will put high school students and early career candidates a step ahead when entering the workforce or college.

Without a knowledge of Office software, whole segments of the United States job market are off-limits. People need a basic understanding of how to use these tools and technology to operate in almost any business. The good news is that accessing education and training to make you proficient in Office software is easy to find and even easier to master, if you put in the effort, particularly while you’re still in high school.

Why learn Excel?

Excel isn’t just for bankers and accountants. Teachers, entrepreneurs, receptionists, business owners, team leaders, hospital workers and so many more turn to Excel to help them do their job better. Excel’s wide variety of programs and functions are designed to save time. Instead of doing a bunch of tedious calculations or manually sorting and organizing data, let Excel do it in mere seconds and in countless ways. People commonly use Excel to:

• Organize information in an easy-to-navigate way
• Perform basic and complex mathematical functions
• Convert volumes of data into easy to consume graphics and charts
• Review data and make forecasting predictions

What are the benefits of Outlook?

Microsoft Outlook is another powerful tool for staying connected and being organized. It doesn’t matter what industry someone pursues, having a working knowledge of outlook will be very handy. It allows people to manage email, calendars, contacts, and tasks in one easy to use place. It is a standard in offices all over the world because of its ability to:

• Create meetings, appointments and tasks
• Automate email communications
• Recover archived information
• Schedule meeting rooms
• Be alerted to important communications

How can NuPaths help?

As part of NuPaths’ programs that  prepare future-ready students, we offer a 10 week online course that focuses on understanding the most useful tools inMicrosoft Excel and Outlook. The skills needed to increase productivity with data management, scheduling, and email management in Microsoft Excel and Outlook are developed throughout this course. Skills with the productivity tools are developed within the context of personal productivity and providing training and support to other users.  Students can earn two Microsoft Office certifications in the Fundamentals of Productivity Software course.

There is a weekly online session with an instructor and weekly assignments you complete on your own.  The course is part of the NuPaths 3 Part Technical Support Specialist program.  High school students and those with a high school diploma, age 18-24, are eligible to enroll in the course and participate in the 3 Part program.  Eligible students can receive a 100% tuition scholarship.

Students who successfully complete a role-based NuPaths’ program will have more than a series of IT courses to build upon their high school diploma. Upon successful completion of the full Technical Support Specialist program, students will:

• Be prepared for an entry-level IT role
• Have industry recognized IT certifications for increased employment and earning power
• Have a project that highlights readiness for an IT job role
• Receive a certificate of completion from Harrisburg University of Science & Technology
• Receive college credits that can be applied toward future degree completion

Upcoming courses - get enrolled!

Courses are offered to high school Seniors and Juniors, and early career candidates age 18-24, through Harrisburg University's Enrichment Program. Students who complete a career program and gain industry certifications can differentiate themselves from others when it comes time to apply to colleges, jobs, internships, and scholarships. Here are upcoming course dates for NuPaths Fundamentals of Productivity Software course.

Part 2: NPTH 120: Fundamentals of Productivity Software
MOS Excel & MOS Outlook Certifications | 3 College Credits

• June 14, 2021 - August 23, 2021
• November 08, 2021 - February 07, 2022
• February 21, 2022 - May 02, 2022
• April 11, 2022 - June 20, 2022
• June 13, 2022 - August 22, 2022

Ready to set yourself up for success by learning the fundamentals of Microsoft Excel and Office? Explore the NuPaths courses through Harrisburg University Enrichment and determine your funding eligibility by completing the online form at https://apply.harrisburgu.edu/register/enrichment_inquiry.