Develop your skills and professional development by gaining valuable knowledge in Microsoft Excel.

By completing this program, you will:

• Collaborate in workbooks, manage data, and work with functions.
• Practice with advanced charts and conditional formatting.
• Be better prepared to take a Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Associate Exam.

You can expect to enhance your job-based skills in the Computer Skills and Technology workforce development competency.

All CSEA-represented NYS employees are eligible to participate.

Management/Confidential NYS employees with an Empire KnowledgeBank (EKB) license are also eligible to participate. Contact your agency training officer for information on obtaining an EKB license.  

Supervisory approval is not required for courses taken outside the normal workday. It may be possible for employees to take courses during working hours with supervisory approval.

• Register and take all the required courses online in SLMS anytime starting March 16, 2026.
   
• To earn a certificate, you must complete all required courses and achieve a passing grade of 70% or higher in each course by the program's end date (September 15, 2026).
   
• To print your certificate, log in to SLMS, go to the My Learning page, locate the appropriate certificate program, and select the Print Certificate button. The Print Certificate button will only be available if the status is Completed.

1. Exploring Essential Functions in Excel 365 (0.75 Hours)

   Excel functions cover a wide array of uses, from formatting text to performingcalculations. This course delves into several of the most common functions in Excel365.

2. Working with Advanced Charts in Excel 365 (0.7 Hours)

   For individuals working with large data sets, the ability to display data clearly and efficiently is a crucial step in data analysis. This Excel 365 course offers a comprehensive review of various chart types available to improve data visualization skills.

3. Collaborating Safely in Excel 365 (0.8 Hours)

   Discover the power of seamless collaboration with Excel 365. This course covers essential skills for sharing, managing, and protecting your workbooks.

4. Managing Data in Excel 365 (0.85 Hours)

   Excel 365 provides a variety of methods for effectively handling data entries. In this course, explore options for navigating and selecting special items, finding and replacing data values, as well as grouping, sorting, and filtering data entries.

5. Using Custom and Conditional Formatting in Excel 365 (.75 Hours)

   Excel 365 provides various advanced tools for data presentation and analysis. In this course, discover the different techniques for customizing number, date, and time formats, as well as using conditional formatting to enhance data management.

6. Enhancing a Worksheet with Visual Elements in Excel 365 (0.85 Hours)

   Excel 365 offers a suite of tools to beautify and enhance worksheets. Users can easily insert hyperlinks, add informative and attractive images, and tailor these images to fit their needs through resizing, cropping, or rotating.

7. Creating and Managing PivotTables in Excel 365 (0.75 Hours)

   PivotTables in Excel 365 are vital for organizing, summarizing, and refining large data sets efficiently. In this course, you will learn how to create and customize PivotTables, selecting the appropriate data for analysis and enhancing the table's visual layout for better readability.

Want to learn more? Once you've completed all the required courses, consider continuing your learning with the following optional activities. Unlike the required courses, you do not need to complete these to earn your certificate. 

Optional Certificate Program Courses

• Using Advanced Functions in Excel 365 (0.8 Hours)

  Excel 365 offers a variety of advanced functions for data management and formula creation. In this course, discover how to build formulas to find information in tables, work with data arrays, and obtain date-related information.
   

• Setting Your Work Preferences in Excel 365 (0.6 Hours)

  You can get more out of Excel 365 by customizing the app. This course explores different ways to tailor the Excel application and interface to your needs.

Optional Microsoft Office Certification

Use this certificate program to help prepare to take a Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Exam. The Microsoft Corporation offers a series of exams for people who are looking to receive formal certification in the Microsoft Office 365 suite. These exams typically cost approximately $100 each. Once you have completed an exam, you may apply for exam reimbursement. To check eligibility and to apply for exam reimbursement, contact a Partnership Advisor at (800) 253-4332 Option 1 or [email protected].
 

Microsoft Office Specialist exams need to be scheduled and paid for in advance at a designated testing center and must be taken in a proctored environment. You will need to contact Certiport to schedule an exam and to locate testing centers in your area. The Partnership is not one of these testing sites. 

To participate, you must follow our two-step registration process. The first step varies for CSEA-represented NYS employees and Management/Confidential NYS employees. 

CSEA-represented NYS employees: Apply for a Partnership Online Learning License in the Statewide Learning Management System. Search P_OL_Program in SLMS. Please allow up to five business days for license approval.  

NYS Management/Confidential Employees: Contact your agency training director to obtain an Empire KnowledgeBank license if you don't have one already.  

Once you have an active license, you can register for the program in SLMS. Search (P_EXINT26) in SLMS.  

Registration Directions

SLMS will allow registration for the certificate even if you don't have an online learning license. Once your license is active, you can enroll in the certificate's classes.

Please note that new employees may not have access to SLMS until they receive their first paycheck.

Still need help or have questions? 

Contact us at (800) 253-4332 or email [email protected].