Microsoft Office Certificates Toronto

Since Bill Gates first announced the release of Microsoft Office in 1988, the productivity software suite has set the standard for the most essential applications of the modern workplace. While that first software bundle included a mere three programs—Word, Excel, and PowerPoint—Office 365 also includes Access, Outlook, Publisher, and OneNote. Depending on which version of the suite one uses, they may also have access to other applications. In 2022, Microsoft announced that they were dropping the name Office for its software suite, and the cloud-based Microsoft Office 365 was officially renamed Microsoft 365. However, the desktop-based Office 2016,2019, and 2021 are still in common use today, and you may continue to hear Microsoft 365 referred to as Office 365 in common parlance.

Microsoft 365 and older versions of Office are staples in the workplace today across industries. While some applications are essential to specific sectors such as Excel in data science and finance, you will find virtually all of Office’s applications used in careers as diverse as publishing, education, law, and healthcare. A strong mastery of Microsoft Office is especially important for those working in the field of office administration. Every day, professionals across the globe use Outlook for efficient email and task management, Word to create professional documents, Excel to manage data effectively, and PowerPoint to make clear presentations.

Why Become Certified in Microsoft Office?

Whether you’re an aspiring data science professional, a mid-career Office Administrator, or a teacher-in-training, a Microsoft Office certification or certificate can open doors for career advancement in the direction you want to go. It’s difficult to find a more versatile qualification than a Microsoft Office certificate, as over a million businesses and organizations use the software suite’s subscription version, Microsoft 365. This number doesn’t include the numerous workplaces that continue to use on-premises desktop versions of Office, ensuring that verifiable knowledge of the Office suite will continue to be a high-demand qualification across industries for years to come.

A Microsoft Office certificate program offers multiple benefits for job seekers and those desiring to expand their career opportunities. In addition to the certificate that communicates you have the desirable qualities needed to complete an educational course, a certificate program also offers valuable training in multiple software applications used daily by Data Scientists, healthcare professionals, teachers, and business professionals across various career paths.

What You’ll Learn While Becoming Microsoft Office Certified

Many training schools and universities offer Microsoft Office certificate programs in individual applications. Excel and Word standalone certificate courses are especially common, as both are highly used tools across various industries. Certification-prep classes will almost always focus on single applications as well, as each MOS certification exam covers an individual program. However, occasionally, one may find certification-prep courses designed to prepare students for exams in more than one application, and some Microsoft Office certificate programs also focus on all the applications or a select few. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook are the Microsoft Office programs most frequently covered in comprehensive courses, but some programs also cover the other applications included in Office.

Microsoft Word

The world’s favorite word processor since the 1990s, Microsoft Word is a standard feature of the 21st-century office across industries. Microsoft Office certificate programs ensure that students have a solid understanding of this key application so they can easily create, format, and edit professional-quality documents, whatever their profession of choice. A certificate or certification demonstrating your mastery of Microsoft Word ensures future employers understand what you can contribute to their team as someone who values high-quality written communication.

Microsoft Excel

Students can rest assured that any quality comprehensive Microsoft Office certificate program will devote significant time to Microsoft Excel. The software is the most popular spreadsheet application for managing data of all kinds, and hiring managers will appreciate the verification of your Excel skills in the form of a Microsoft Office certificate or Microsoft Office Specialist certification listed on your resume. The extensive knowledge of Excel that you gain in a Microsoft Office certificate program is especially vital for aspiring data science professionals, who will frequently use the software to perform daily tasks involved in data wrangling and analysis.

Microsoft PowerPoint

As the go-to software for presentations for more than two decades, PowerPoint is an essential application in any career requiring slideshows—such as business, marketing, or education. The focused training in PowerPoint that you’ll receive in a Microsoft Office certificate program will equip you to use the application to its fullest potential when creating presentations on the job. Knowing how to use layered instruction, animation, and layout tools effectively can help your slideshows stand out as compelling and aesthetically pleasing.

Microsoft Outlook

Proficiency in Outlook is a highly desirable qualification in a wide variety of careers, as it is the email and calendar application of choice for countless businesses around the world. Microsoft Office certificate programs will help you learn how to take advantage of the many tools of the program that allow you to manage your communication, schedule, and tasks effectively. A Microsoft Office certificate featuring Outlook or a MOS certification in Outlook can be a versatile qualification to include on your resume or LinkedIn profile when job hunting in virtually any field.

Additional Microsoft Office Apps

Some Microsoft Office certificate programs will cover applications beyond the core four of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Access, OneNote, Publisher, and SharePoint are powerful in their own right, and integrating them with Office’s most popular apps can take your most complex projects to the next level. Microsoft 365’s video conferencing software, Teams, is sometimes also included in the curriculum of Microsoft Office certificate programs, as the application has become an integral component of communication and collaboration in today's workplace.

Microsoft Office Industries in Toronto

A ubiquitous presence in business environments across industries, it’s difficult to find a career today where Microsoft Office—or at least one of its applications—isn’t part of the job. A Microsoft Office certificate or certification is an ideal qualification to earn for working in a variety of industries, especially office administration. Knowledge of the productivity suite is essential for Office Assistants, Office Managers, Executive Assistants, and similar roles, ensuring the smooth operation of organizations across diverse sectors. The Government of Canada Job Bank finds that the 37,000 Administrative Assistants in the Toronto region work primarily in finance, insurance, real estate, educational services, and professional, scientific, and technical services.

The tech sector also has a high need for workers with proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel, the industry standard for data management software. Toronto boasts the largest technology hub in Canada, employing 289,000 individuals in the area. Virtually all of these roles—whether in software development, data science, administration, or sales—may involve using Microsoft Office to perform daily tasks.

Toronto is also home to the largest number of financial sector employees in Canada. Many of these 210,000 individuals frequently use Microsoft Office applications in their daily communication, presentations, and data management and analysis.

Microsoft Office Careers in Toronto

Earning a Microsoft Office certificate or certification can be an excellent way to begin a career in office administration in Toronto. Toronto-area Administrative Assistants can expect to make between $16 and $35 per hour, and the Government of Canada Job Bank predicts a moderate outlook for growth in the field between 2022 and 2024.

A career as a Project Manager is another option for Microsoft Office experts, as proficiency in the software suite is a frequent qualification included in project management job listings. Project Managers work across industries and earn an average annual salary between $78,000 and $125,000, depending on the position and their background.

Should You Pursue a Certificate or Certification?

Microsoft Office certificates and Microsoft Office Specialist certifications are both excellent professional qualifications to pursue, but they are earned in different ways and issued by different organizations. If you desire a Microsoft Office certificate, you will need to attend a Microsoft Office certificate program offered by a tech training school or college. This school will award the certificate to all who successfully complete the program, just as a college degree is awarded at the end of an educational journey. Certifications are issued by Microsoft rather than by a school, as they are not connected to any educational program. Instead, a Microsoft Office Specialist certification verifies that you have the knowledge covered by the exam issued by the software company, regardless of how you gained it.

Typically, beginners to Microsoft Office and those preparing to enter the workforce for the first time will prefer to earn a Microsoft Office certificate over a certification. A certificate program provides an education in some of the most popular software in the workplace today and a certificate that verifies that skill set to future employers or clients. Microsoft Office certifications are typically a better option for mid-career professionals who already have extensive experience using one or multiple Office applications. Microsoft Office Specialist exams can turn well-earned knowledge and expertise into a verifiable qualification that you can use as leverage for career growth in a variety of directions. Those who want to earn a certification but are uncertain if they have the knowledge to pass the exam can use a Microsoft Office certificate program to ensure they are ready to earn their certification.

Top Microsoft Office Certificate Programs in Toronto

Earning a Microsoft Office certificate or certification can be a smart step for individuals preparing to enter the workforce for the first time, people considering a pivot in their career, or mid-career professionals desiring to add a qualification to their resume for any reason. Certification in the productivity suite featuring the world’s most popular spreadsheet software and word processor can create job opportunities and give a person leverage to advance their career or increase their earning potential.

Microsoft Master Certification Program with Outlook

Noble Desktop is an NYS-certified design and coding school that offers high-quality training in-person in Manhattan and live online to students in Toronto and around the world. Their Microsoft Master Certification Program with Outlook is a comprehensive certificate and certification program in one, offered both online and in-person. Tuition for the program is $2,499, including seven public group classes, six hours of private tutoring, and four Microsoft Office Specialist Exams: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Following graduation from the 56-hour program, you will receive a verified certificate of completion. You have the option to retake the Microsoft Office certification program or any of the exams for free if needed.

In Noble’s Microsoft Master Certification Program with Outlook, you will learn all you need to know to pass the MOS exams and earn your certifications in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook. By the end of the program, you'll know the advanced tools and functions needed to create professional-quality documents with Word, slideshows with PowerPoint, and spreadsheets and workbooks with Excel. You will also be acquainted with the full capabilities of Outlook to manage your email, calendar, and tasks all in a single application. Six hours of private tutoring will allow you to ensure you are fully prepared to pass your certification exams at the close of the program.

Complete Microsoft Office Bootcamp

Technology training center NYC Career Centers offers its Complete Microsoft Office Bootcamp in-person in Manhattan and live online. Students in Toronto can attend this 54-hour Microsoft Office certificate program from the comfort of their homes for $1,725. At the close of the nine-day bootcamp, participants will earn a digital certificate of completion, and they can retake the program within one year if needed.

Students in the Complete Microsoft Office Bootcamp will explore the powerful applications PowerPoint, Outlook, Word, and Excel through hands-on projects led by expert instructors. Participants will learn to use custom animations and themes in their professional-quality PowerPoint presentations. They will also learn to use Outlook 2016’s calendar and email and task management systems. They’ll discover Word’s extensive menu of functions and tools to create dynamic templates, documents, and emails. Finally, they will uncover Excel’s data management and analysis abilities, from basic spreadsheet formatting to advanced formulas and functions.

Microsoft Office Program Recognition of Achievement

Seneca College offers a Microsoft Office Program Recognition of Achievement as a live online, flexible, hybrid, or in-person class in Toronto. Tuition for the part-time program is $696. It features two courses and prepares students for multiple Microsoft Office Specialist certification exams. Students will also receive a Recognition of Achievement upon completing the program, which is comparable to a Microsoft Office certificate.

In the course Office Applications I, students will discover the essential knowledge they need to use Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in the workplace. In the second course of the program, Office Applications II, participants will gain advanced mastery of Microsoft Word and Excel while also learning the basics of Access. By the end of the program, students will be prepared to use Microsoft Office in a business environment.

Diploma in Computerized Office Application

Individuals in the Toronto area can attend the Citi College of Canadian Careers’ Diploma in Computerized Office Application program to earn a qualification equivalent to a Microsoft Office certificate. The 16-week program provides first-hand experience and training in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access and prepares students to take Microsoft Office Specialist certification exams in these applications.

The Diploma in Computerized Office Application program is ideal for students desiring to work in office administration. The comprehensive program provides students with both theoretical and practical instruction to prepare them to use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access to perform essential business tasks such as creating professional documents, analyzing data, and managing a database.

Microsoft Office Elements Certificate

The University of Waterloo offers a Microsoft Office Elements Certificate online. Prospective students can contact the university for current tuition rates. Participants have a wide variety of courses to choose from, depending on the Microsoft Office applications they wish to focus on and the appropriate level of learning for each student.

Students will choose four courses from options focused on Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Only one class may be selected per application. The University of Waterloo advises participants to take no more than two courses simultaneously. Each course is six weeks long, and students will have two weeks to complete their final exam. The program is asynchronous, allowing participants to work on their own time.

Microsoft Office (Certificate)

Durham College’s Microsoft Office (Certificate) program is a live online option for students in Toronto who wish to master the software suite and gain a qualification to prove their skills to future employers. Prospective students will need to contact Durham College to determine the total cost of the program.

The program includes eight courses that students may take on a part-time schedule. These courses cover Microsoft Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook. It also covers the integration of the Microsoft Office suite of applications to create complex professional projects. Students will graduate with a certificate verifying they’ve learned the Microsoft Office skills needed to thrive in the workplace today.