Montgomery County Community College

Virtual Assistance Certificate of Completion

Purpose

The purpose of the Certificate of Completion in Virtual Assistance is to provide students with a specialty designation within the administrative assistant industry. This certificate provides students with the hands on and practical knowledge and skills needed to work as a virtual assistant, which is a different designation than the typical administrative assistant. The virtual assistant works remotely either from home or from a designated location. He or she is often an entrepreneur, with his/her own virtual assistant business, contracting with their own clients. However, many virtual assistants work for a placement agency that matches them up with clients seeking virtual assistance. Additionally, many employees are now being asked by their employers to work from home either on a partial or complete basis and these workers require training and guidance on how to do so. Regardless of the career path, this certificate allows students to prepare themselves for a career as a virtual assistant.

Program Outcomes

A graduate should be able to:

• evaluate different types of virtual businesses and office careers.
• complete a self-assessment to determine readiness and suitability for becoming a virtual entrepreneur.
• determine appropriate communication skills necessary for work in a virtual office.
• prepare a business plan that demonstrates the logistical, technological and promotional requirements of establishing and maintaining a virtual office.
• prepare the licensing, insurance, and taxation requirements necessary for creating and operating a home-based virtual business.
• demonstrate proficiency in the use of industry standard software and Internet resources to plan, participate in and facilitate business meetings and projects in a virtual environment.
• describe the role, duties, skills and challenges of a virtual assistant.
• create a business plan that establishes one’s mission, goals, and objectives and integrates one’s personal, professional and ethical standards as a virtual assistant.
• determine one’s sustainable competitive advantage in the virtual assistance industry by developing a marketing plan that allows one to grow and maintain a network of resources and clients.
• prepare for the job market by assembling a virtual assistant skills and resources portfolio.
• facilitate a virtual assistant simulation project.
• apply an ethical framework to make informed decisions in day-to-day life as a virtual assistant.
• identify their competition.
• clarify their business vision and concept.

Curriculum

TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS CREDIT: 9

The Virtual Assistance Certificate of Completion prepares students to participate in the International Virtual Assistants Association “Ethics Check” exam to become a certified virtual assistant.

The Office Administration AAS program provides a stackable pathway for those students who earn the Virtual Assistance Certificate of Completion. They can apply all 9 credits to the Office Administration AAS degree with a designated Concentration in Virtual Assistance.