With the cat now out of the bag, Apple has reorganized and expanded its Apple Certification Programs. The company has announced updates to its Apple Certified Technical Coordinator (ACTC) and Apple Certified System Administrator (ACSA) titles, and has announced a new 'Help Desk Specialist' certification.
With the release of Mac OS X 10.3 Panther last week, the lower-level ACTC title will once again require two exams: the new Mac OS X Help Desk Essentials v10.3 Exam and the updated Mac OS X Server Essentials v10.3 Exam. The previous Jaguar ACTC certification required only a single exam.
The new Help Desk Essentials exam will also serve as the sole requisite for a new certification: Apple Certified Help Desk Specialist (ACHDS). The ACHDS certification focuses on client-side support.
ACSA status will require the following two updated exams: System Administration of Mac OS X Clients v10.3 Exam and System Administration Using Mac OS X Server v10.3 Exam.
The new Help Desk exam is currently scheduled for a late 2003 release, with the remainder of the exams set to appear in early 2004.