The New Glarus School District hosted technology education teachers from across southern Wisconsin last week for professional development focused on helping students earn industry-recognized technology credentials.

The training centered on IC3 certification, a program designed to verify that a student has developed essential technology skills. Rather than simply completing a class, students who earn the certification receive a credential they can use to demonstrate their technology knowledge and abilities to colleges and potential employers.

The training was sponsored by Cooperative Educational Service Agency 3 (CESA 3) and was intended to help teachers better understand how the certification can be incorporated into classroom instruction and how they can prepare students to earn it.

For students, the value is relatively straightforward: IC3 provides another way to show that the technology skills they have learned in school translate into a recognized credential outside the classroom. The district described the certifications as industry-recognized and said they can help students demonstrate their skills as they pursue college or enter the workforce.