Welcome to the June 2024 edition of our Microsoft Credentials roundup, where we highlight the latest Microsoft Learn credentials portfolio news and updates to inspire and support your training and career journey. 

In this article

What’s new with Microsoft Applied Skills? 

Explore the latest Applied Skills scenarios 
Discover scenarios in localized languages 
Make the most of the new Applied Skills study guides
‘Deploy containers by using Azure Kubernetes Service’ is being retired
Read the new IDC InfoBrief highlighting the benefits of credentials

What’s new with Microsoft Certifications? 

Explore the Dynamics Certification portfolio updates
Build your confidence with exam prep resources

What’s new with Microsoft Applied Skills?

Explore the latest Applied Skills scenarios 

To help meet the demand for professionals with AI and cloud skills, we developed Microsoft Applied Skills. These verifiable credentials validate specific, real-world skills in Microsoft technologies. We continue to expand our Applied Skills portfolio, and we released three new scenarios on June 25, 2024:

Develop AI agents using Microsoft Azure OpenAI and Semantic Kernel
Administer Active Directory Domain Services
Deploy and manage Microsoft Azure Arc–enabled servers

We’re prioritizing credentials in AI and cloud skills to help you power AI transformation with the Microsoft Cloud. Browse our full offering of Applied Skills, and get started on your credentials journey.

Discover scenarios in localized languages 

To meet the global demand for Applied Skills, we offer them in localized languages, including Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. For example, the Migrate SQL Server workloads to Azure SQL Database scenario has been recently localized, and learners can find it in their preferred language. To learn which languages are available for an Applied Skills assessment, on the details page for that scenario, check the “Take the assessment” section. 

Make the most of the new Applied Skills study guides

We’re happy to announce our new Applied Skills study guides to help you prepare for the lab-based assessment. Find a link to the guide in the “Applied Skills Resources” section of the details page for your specific scenario. Or go to Microsoft Learn Credentials, select FAQ & Help, and in the left navigation panel, expand Applied Skills – Study guides.

‘Deploy containers by using Azure Kubernetes Service’ is being retired

The Applied Skills assessment for “Deploy containers by using Azure Kubernetes Service” has been retired. Stay tuned for new topics in the future.

Read the new IDC InfoBrief highlighting the benefits of credentials

Skills gained through an Applied Skills experience can help learners build confidence in their cloud and AI knowledge and abilities. They can take advantage of these to meet their future goals, like earning a Microsoft Certification. According to a recent IDC InfoBrief, “Organizations and their employees derive strong benefits from credentialing, whether it takes the form of full credentials or via micro-credentials.”* Get all the details in the IDC InfoBrief Skilling Up! Leveraging Full and Micro-Credentials for Optimal Skilling Solutions. To find out why credentials are a critical component of any thoughtful IT training and skill-building initiative, read the related post, IDC Guest Blog: How micro-credentials can optimize skills in the organization.

*IDC InfoBrief, Sponsored by Microsoft, Skilling Up! Leveraging Full and Micro-Credentials for Optimal Skilling Solutions, Doc. #US52019124, June 2024.

What’s new with Microsoft Certifications? 

Explore the Dynamics Certification portfolio updates

We’re evolving Microsoft Credentials for Dynamics 365 to help ensure that you have a straightforward journey to prove your skills. As part of this evolution, we’re streamlining the skills-validation experience for Dynamics 365—from three Certifications to one, combined with multiple Applied Skills scenarios. Get all the details in Evolving Microsoft Credentials for Dynamics 365. 

Plus, effective June 30, 2024, we’re retiring the Microsoft Certified: Power Platform App Maker Associate Certification and Exam PL-100. App makers have many opportunities with Microsoft Power Platform–focused Applied Skills to demonstrate their skills in specific scenarios relevant to the work that they do every day, such as automating business processes with Power Automate and creating apps with Power Apps.

Build your confidence with exam prep resources

If you’re gearing up to earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty Certification, this news is for you! We’ve added new exam readiness videos for Exam AZ-140 so you can be better prepared to earn the Certification.

Additionally, new Practice Assessments for the following Certification exams will be available at the end of June 2024:

Exam DP-420: Designing and Implementing Cloud-Native Applications Using Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
Exam MB-240: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service Functional Consultant
Exam MB 310: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance Functional Consultant
Exam MB-330: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant
Exam MB-500: Microsoft Dynamics 365: Finance and Operations Apps Developer
Exam MB-800: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Functional Consultant

Watch this space for the next Microsoft Credentials roundup, as we continue to evolve our portfolio to help support your career growth.  

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Previous editions of the Microsoft Credentials roundup 

March 2024
February 2024
January 2024

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