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CompTIA A+ Certification joins with complimentary certifications

CompTIA has announced a collaboration with Microsoft and the Help Desk Institute (HDI) to promote the advantages of combining their respective certifications to employees and employers.

CompTIA say the combination of their own A+ certification, HDI's Customer Support Specialist (CSS) or Help Desk Analyst (HDA) certification levels, and the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) certification, provide a perfect certification suite for entry-level IT service and support professionals, and will help them enhance their career path.

CompTIA A+ certification provides foundational hardware and software skills. HDI adds the soft-skills element so important in customer service. The MCDST credential helps set the competency level of help desk staff on the Microsoft Windows XP operating system and the applications that run on it by focusing on diagnosis and assessment of end-user incident requests.

"As the largest developer of vendor neutral IT certification exams globally, CompTIA recognizes very clearly the need for IT professionals to be able to validate their knowledge and skills through certification," said Bob Sartor, director of industry and customer programs for DHL, and chair of the board of directors, CompTIA.

"We also recognise the increasing importance of non-technical skills to overall business operations, such as active listening and the capture of knowledge during calls. The combination of these skills should foster a higher level of confidence by Help Desk Analysts in their own abilities, and ultimately, from positive experiences, a higher level of confidence by customers on the other end of the telephone enlisting analyst services. By working with HDI to promote the benefits of both HDI and CompTIA certifications, we are able to greatly enhance the ability of front-line technical support professionals to do their jobs at the highest levels of efficiency."

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