The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) is one of the largest universities in the UK with a student and staff community approaching 38,000, over 500 undergraduate courses and in the region of 200 postgraduate programmes.

Located at the heart of Preston, one of the UK’s newest cities, UCLan was awarded university status in 1992 but its roots go back to 1828 and the founding of the “Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge.”

UCLan integrated Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) into their Library Information Services department in 2012, so that students could access training and enhance their Microsoft Office skills throughout their time studying at the University.

Colette Helsby (Senior IT Trainer), Caroline Melling (Senior IT Trainer) and the Staff Development Team facilitate regular training sessions as well as provide online materials and practice exams for their students and staff to prepare for MOS. UCLan became a Prodigy Learning Centre of Excellence by delivering more than 500 exams between MOS in between 2012 / 13.

When asked about the MOS Programme delivered at UCLan Caroline Melling said: “We are extremely pleased to have been awarded our first Prodigy Learning Centre of Excellence plaque for 2012.  For our students, MOS a great opportunity to obtain a globally recognised certification which will not only help them in their studies but also give them competitive edge in a crowded marketplace. 

The Microsoft Office Specialist certification is very popular with both staff and students at UCLan and we’ve received some great feedback form our students who have completed the certifications.  We’re looking forward to continuing to provide the MOS certification in 2013, and hopefully achieving Centre of Excellence again! Again, many thanks!”

Lisa Stones (UCLan Student), when asked about MOS said: “I can now proudly say that I have certificates for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Word Expert and Excel Expert.  I have recently been given a job in Leeds, [and] I am sure the certificates helped me to stand out from the rest of the applicants”.