When The Register writes about professional certifications offered by vendors, we often receive comments arguing that such credentials are nowhere near as valuable as real-world experience. Now, Microsoft has acknowledged there’s some merit in that argument. Redmond revealed its stance last week in a post from general manager for content and insights Cameron Percy, who observed: “For years, people have asked for a simpler way to prove the skills they use in the flow of work, without stepping away to prepare for another test.”
Microsoft’s response is the “Pro Badge,” a new form of credential that Percy wrote “works alongside Microsoft Certifications.” “Certifications show that you can solve problems in a role or field. Pro Badge shows how you use a specific product in your everyday work.
Together, they give a more complete picture of what you can do.” “Instead of capturing skills on a single test day, this approach keeps pace with your work and the products you use,” Percy added. “It gives you a current, verified signal of what you can do, at no cost and without a separate exam or study guide.”
The first Pro Badge is for GitHub Copilot. To earn it, users need only visit learn. github.
com and sign in with their GitHub account. Going through those steps fires up a “proficiency engine” that Microsoft says “gets to work analyzing relevant product usage signals and evaluating them against a defined proficiency framework.” Percy’s post says it “systematically uses evidence from everyday product use to calculate and automatically update your proficiency level.”
Microsoft offers five levels of proficiency: beginner, intermediate, proficient, advanced, and expert. To earn a Pro Badge, users must reach the proficient level. A beginner has had “first contact” with GitHub and “understands what Copilot is, where it can be used, and how it might fit into everyday development workflows.”
An intermediate user is “familiar with web-based collaboration features, core IDE features, model management, agent configuration, customization options, and techniques for managing context.” To score the Pro Badge, users will need to demonstrate “practical ability to work on projects” and use GitHub “across typical scenarios, demonstrated through consistent hands-on usage across multiple repositories and extended periods.”
“A Proficient user can use many web and IDE features, select appropriate models, and apply customizations to tailor Copilot for specific project needs. They have experimented with extended features and are aware of extensibility/integration options.” At the time of writing, Redmond hasn’t defined expert or advanced proficiency.
It has published more criteria for the first three levels here. Microsoft has kindly integrated GitHub’s learning site with LinkedIn, which it owns, so users can add Pro Badges to their profiles. Percy’s post suggests Microsoft has other Pro Badges in the works.
Elsewhere, Microsoft makes it plain that Pro Badges won’t replace its other credentials. “GitHub Verified Proficiency is part of Microsoft Pro Badge, a new credential type designed to recognize skills as they are applied in the flow of work,” explains a page offering detail of the new cred. “It does not replace certifications or Microsoft Applied Skills.
It adds a third signal: how skills show up through everyday product use.” The Register welcomes comment on this new approach to professional credentials.
Originally published at theregister.com
