Upon completion of a course of study in Office Skills, students following the office skills curriculum should be able to:
Know Basic Windows Skills
- Operate a computer and gain Keyboarding Skills
- Turn on and off the computer properly and run a computer applications program
- Use the keyboard and mouse
- Parts of the Windows desktop
- Use the the mouse; move and resize windows
- Basic document creation
- View files, work with files, customize window
- Understand parts of the computer.
- Understand Alphabetizing/Filing
Demonstrate mastery of the keyboard.
- This comprehensive course focuses on learning the QWERTY keyboard thoroughly to prepare you for more advanced skill building techniques. Once you master the basic skills, you’ll become faster and more confident at typing. View Syllabus.
Use MS Office Applications
- Creating Professional Documents with Word. This course teaches you how to create professional looking business documents using the latest version of Office 365 Word. Topics introduced include a complete overview of the Word interface, how to create letters, memos, reports and flyers using Tables. The Ribbon interface, working with character and paragraph formatting, printing, using proofreading tools, creating bulleted and numbered lists, and tables will all be explored. View Syllabus >>
- Creating presentations using PowerPoint. Topics introduced include beginning-level skills, and is ideal for the newer computer user who wants to become well versed in PowerPoint. Topics introduced include the Ribbon interface, document themes, bulleted lists, outlines, formatting text, printing presentations, transitions, clip art and graphics, charts, slide show delivery, and more. View Syllabus.
- Beginning Spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel. Topics introduced include beginning-level skills, and is ideal for the newer computer user who wants to become well versed in Excel. Topics introduced include the Ribbon interface; entering and editing data; selecting cells and ranges; printing worksheets; creating formulas and functions; formatting cell contents; inserting and deleting columns, rows, and cells; charts; and more. View Syllabus.
Know Professional Telephone Etiquette
- This e-learning course teaches students the importance of telephone etiquette and the role it plays in creating a favorable impression on customers. Students learn the most basic, but most important time tested techniques in handling phone calls. Students also learn how to manage a call from beginning to end, including how to professionally greet the customer, how to build rapport, express empathy when needed and how to show appreciation and professionally end the call. Taking messages and using voicemail is also explored. View Syllabus.
Job Outlook
According to bls.gov, overall employment of secretaries and administrative assistants is projected to decline 9 percent from 2019 to 2029. However,employment of receptionists is projected to grow 4 percent from 2019 to 2029, about as fast as the average for all occupations.. Employment growth is also projected for medical secretaries, primarily due to the growth of the healthcare industry. For example, baby boomers will require more medical services as they age. Medical secretaries will be needed to handle administrative tasks related to billing and insurance processing of Medicare and other claims.
There are thirteen different occupations in the Office and Administration Cluster of careers all requiring slightly different levels of office skills and some of these professions are in more demand than others. If you’re thinking of starting a new career in the area of Office and Administration in 2020/2021, you may wish to explore the occupations that are currently in the most demand here.
Salary
The median annual wage for office and administrative support occupations was $39,850 per year/$19.16 per hour in 2019. This will vary according to geographic location.
