Skill Struck is dedicated to assisting educators by making computer science (CS) concepts accessible to their students. Our goal is not just to introduce CS, but to empower students to master essential CS skills.

For this reason, Skill Struck provides several comprehensive industry certification prep courses. These courses are designed to enhance students' confidence and equip them with the necessary tools to tackle significant industry certification exams successfully. We believe providing this support will further their CS education and prepare them to thrive in the tech industry.

Recently, Skill Struck intern Caroline Swanton passed the PCEP exam with the help of one of our prep courses! 

Intern, Caroline Swanton, takes Skill Struck’s PCEP Prep Course

Caroline Swanton is currently a Senior in high school who discovered her passion for computer science during the summer after her sophomore year when she enrolled in a GirlsWhoCode program. Because Caroline is an ambitious and driven leader she started a coding club at her school that has grown significantly over the past few years. During her Junior year, she learned about Skill Struck’s teen internship program. She applied, was accepted and became a wonderful asset to our team. 

During her time as an intern, she was offered an opportunity to take our PCEP prep course so she could get certified in entry-level Python programming. Caroline explained, “I knew the endeavor would demand more time and effort from me, but I also recognized the chance to get a head start toward my future goals. As a high school student, the idea of attaining a programming language certification, especially one lasting a lifetime, was far beyond my initial expectations when I first joined the Skill Struck intern team.”  

We asked Caroline what aspects of the prep course played the biggest role in preparing her for the PCEP exam.

Caroline said, “The unique thing about the PCEP prep course is that, while each lesson focused on a specific topic, the lesson challenges required knowledge from prior lessons. Topics almost never come up just once; they recur consistently throughout the course, no matter what the specific lesson is covering. 

Initially, I found it slightly annoying to have to revisit certain topics in order to pass a challenge. However, I quickly realized that this approach proved immensely effective in preparing users for the exam. It’s impossible to forget something that continuously keeps showing up, which is why completing the lesson challenges is one of the best ways to prepare for the exam. The exam questions often involve large blocks of code with multiple components. I believe tackling these would have been extremely difficult without having completed the course challenges.

What amazed me most wasn't just passing the exam on my first try, but achieving that solely through Skill Struck’s PCEP prep course, without any prior Python knowledge or using external platforms. The Learning Team at Skill Struck did a phenomenal job of covering everything necessary for the exam within the course, and I wholeheartedly recommend the PCEP prep course to anyone starting their Python journey.”

Caroline’s Future Plans with Computer Science and Coding

Caroline will be graduating spring of 2024 and plans to further her computer science education by attending college. While she is not exactly sure where or what she will study she expressed, “Regardless of where life leads me, one thing I'm certain about—I'll never stop coding. It's a constant in my journey, and I'm excited to see how it evolves in my future endeavors.” 

Skill Struck’s internship program is full of amazing young individuals like Caroline who are bright and ambitious learners and make Skill Struck better every day. We were lucky to have Caroline join our team and wish her the very best as she graduates high school and begins her college studies. 

More Information about Skill Struck’s Certification Prep Courses

Skill Struck offers courses that will prepare students for the following certification exams:

• Python Coding Apprentice (PCA) By Knowledge Pillars
• ITS Python By Certiport
• Google Workspace Certification 
• PCEP, or Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer By Python Institute
• HTML & CSS Coding Specialist By Knowledge Pillars

*Please note that Skill Struck does not offer the exams but provides the curriculum needed to prepare students to take the exams.

Python Coding Apprentice (PCA) By Knowledge Pillars is a great exam to take if you are at the beginning of your career as a programmer and want to put your Python skills to the test. Passing this exam proves readiness to enter the workforce and also can serve as a placement indicator for recruiters. 

Skill Struck’s Python Coding Apprentice Certification Prep Course addresses many main concepts of Python alongside other topics such as digital citizenship, the internet, and data. 

This course covers the Python concepts necessary to prepare students for the IT Certification Course and is intended for grade levels 9-12. 

The ITS Python Certification by Certiport is described as an industry-recognized exam to prove foundational skills in Information Technology Systems (ITS), Certiport offers a variety of exams that focus on different areas of ITS but right now we have created one course intended for students preparing to take Certiport’s ITS Python Exam.

Skill Struck’s Python ITS Certification Prep course addresses many main concepts of Python alongside other topics such as digital citizenship, the internet, and data.

The curriculum in this course includes coding exercises and practice on the Skill Struck platform interspersed with classroom collaboration activities, discussion points, supplemental materials, and unplugged activities. 

Students work individually and as teams to build innovative and competitive coding solutions. This course covers the Python concepts necessary to prepare students for the ITS Python Certification Course. 

Passing the Google Workspace Certification is a wonderful way for students to validate their readiness to enter the workforce. This exam tests knowledge on Google Workspace platforms including Drive, Gmail, Google Meet, Docs, Sheets, Forms, and Slides. 

Our unit on Digital Literacy covers the basics of the Google Workspace platforms and professional development topics such as "Interviewing Basics" and "Resume Building". Students will gain the knowledge necessary to earn the Google Workspace Certification, making this course valuable for all students whether pursuing a career in Computer Science or not—recommended time: 1 month.

Knowledge Pillars HTML & CSS Coding Specialist Exam proves comprehensive knowledge of the skills required to be a web developer. This exam proves a student’s ability to build responsive and engaging web pages and applications. Mastering HTML and CSS is a great first step on a Computer Science journey and makes it easier to go on and learn other languages like javascript. 

Skill Struck’s HTML & CSS Coding Specialist Certification Prep course dives deeper into web development as students discover more of what HTML and CSS can do. Students explore the possibilities of bootstrap, animations, and tables among other topics. Students polish their websites further, adding sophistication and interaction to their sites. This course is recommended to take a year and covers the HTML and CSS concepts needed for taking and passing the Knowledge Pillars HTML & CSS Coding Specialist Certification.

The PCEP, or Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer By Python Institute is another great certification to prove understanding of the essentials of Python and showcase readiness for an entry-level Python programmer position or readiness to proceed to study intermediate levels of Python. 

Skill Struck’s PCEP Certification Prep Course dives deep into a wide variety of Python concepts, assuring a solid understanding of the Python language. Students learn different numeric systems such as binary, octal, and hexadecimal. They practice error handling and bitwise operators. They practice using Python functions in loops, dictionaries, and nested loops. They also practice recursive functions. This course is recommended to take a year and prepares students to take the PCEP exam. 

To learn more about Skill Struck and the Industry Certification Prep Courses we offer, schedule a demo here.