Ball State University has the first Apple Authorized Training Center, providing students with an opportunity to become certified in software knowledge, Jonathan Huer, director of digital production corps, said.
Students who take the Apple pro training course will take a certification test, he said. If students pass with 80 percent or better, their names will be posted online for professionals to see if they are certified.
Huer said the program was a necessary step in contributing to students' future knowledge and their careers.
"It's like tying your shoes before a race," he said.
The training course focuses on Final Cut Studio, which is a complete media creation package that is used for DVD creation and editing video.
The university is an authorized training center because Huer is Apple authorized, he said.
Huer said he continues to do other editing projects because it makes him a better instructor.
"I try to actually do it and edit because if you don't you just get rusty," he said.
He has to remind himself that he is not working with professionals, he said, because he was amazed at what the students did not know.
"If they're not pushed, they don't get there," Huer said. "In the real world, [they would] be fired. But, being a student, [they] get a second chance."
Huer said the program was important because it gave students an edge in the job market.
"It's a competitive job market," he said. "Why not take advantage of it? Anything you can do to give students an edge is valuable."
Huer said it was important for students to prove they have all the appropriate skills to future employers.
"They are getting all the skills so they can prove they are able," he said. "You have to find a way to differentiate yourself."
Senior telecommunications major Sara Hamilton said it helped that Ball State offered classes for students to become familiar with software.
"In other TCOM classes, you are expected to learn it on your own," she said. "It's pretty much essential if you're going to work in telecommunications."
Kenton Waltz, a sophomore telecommunications and theater major, said the certification test was a final for one of his classes.
"The certification is something producers and movie makers can look on the [Internet] to see if we're certified," he said.
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