The AI job boom continues: Build the skills that move business forward
Discover new AI powered business Certifications to validate the skills that matter most. Gretchen LaBelle: Copilot + Agents Learning Portfolio Manager, Global Skilling Tarek Saleh Eldin: Content Publishing Manager, Global Skilling In Part 1 of this series, The AI job boom is here. Are you ready to showcase your skills?, we explored how Microsoft Certifications across AI, cloud, and security are evolving to keep pace with a rapidly changing job market. AI is no longer a niche capability. It’s becoming foundational across roles, reshaping how work gets done, and redefining how professionals create impact. This post picks up that thread. As organizations move from experimenting with AI to operationalizing it at scale, big changes are happening in business solutions roles. These shifts demand the ability to apply AI in real business contexts, redesign processes, build intelligent apps and agents, and lead transformation responsibly across the organization. Earlier this year, Microsoft introduced four new AI business solutions Certifications: Microsoft Certified: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect (Exam AB‑100) Microsoft 365 Certified: Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals (Exam AB‑900) Microsoft Certified: AI Business Professional (Exam AB‑730) Microsoft Certified: AI Transformation Leader (Exam AB‑731) Together, these Certifications map to the critical roles in an AI‑driven workplace, from business practitioners and IT administrators to solution architects and transformation leaders. Building on that foundation, we’re launching new Certifications to help amplify human skills for AI-powered roles in the business landscape. New AI business solutions credentials: April 2026 and beyond Additional new Certification exams begin rolling out in beta starting in April 2026, with more releases over the following months, and going live later this year. The Microsoft Certified: AI Agent Builder Associate Certification is designed for tech pros, including developers, AI engineers, and architects, who are pushing AI agents beyond out‑of‑the‑box scenarios to implement production‑ready Microsoft Copilot Studio agents and multi‑agent solutions capable of sophisticated processes, workflow automation, and enterprise integration. Exam AB-620 beta and training available in April 2026; exam expected to go live in June 2026. The Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Contact Center AI Engineer Associate Certification is designed for contact center engineers and solutions pros who design and run modern contact center as a service (CCaaS) solutions with Dynamics 365 Contact Center and service‑oriented autonomous agents. This Certification goes beyond routing and channels, focusing on how AI, Microsoft Copilot, and agents deliver scalable, always‑on service across voice and digital channels. Exam AB-250 beta and training available in June 2026; exam expected to go live in August 2026. The Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Sales AI Consultant Associate Certification is for modern sellers who design and operationalize AI‑powered sales solutions across the lead‑to‑cash lifecycle, emphasizing Copilot-driven productivity and insights, AI-powered opportunity research and qualification, agent configuration and lifecycle management, and secure, scalable automation aligned with governance and responsible AI. Exam AB‑210 beta and training available in May 2026; exam expected to go live in June 2026. The Microsoft Certified: Intelligent Applications Builder Associate Certification equips Microsoft Power Platform pros to build for an AI-first world, where apps, agents, automation, and models work as one. It validates the skills to use Copilot and natural language to design intelligent solutions, embed agents across experiences, and ship responsibly with strong governance and application lifecycle management. Exam AB-410 beta and training available in April 2026; exam expected to go live in June 2026. The Microsoft Applied Skills: Build an agent-first app credential validates learners’ ability to build an app that surfaces a Copilot Studio agent and to craft prompts that make the agent genuinely effective, not just functional. This credential is part of the broader Microsoft Certified: Intelligent Applications Builder Associate (Exam AB-410) Certification journey, serving as a fast, accessible entry point for those looking to get started with agent-first development before pursuing the full Certification. Credential and training expected to go live in June 2026. Refresh: The Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals Certification (Exam PL-900) is being updated with a streamlined, one-day instructor-led course and a new training program. These improvements are designed to align with the AI-powered Microsoft Power Platform and to make it easier than ever for learners to start building confidently. Training and courseware updates are scheduled for June 2026, with minor exam changes planned at the same time to reflect these enhancements. Retiring Certifications: What you need to know We’re committed to keeping our Certifications portfolio aligned with latest technology. As we launch new Certifications, we also retire some older credentials to keep the portfolio mapped to evolving roles. The following table itemizes what’s changing and provides key dates for Certification and training retirements in 2026. If your Certification is eligible for renewal, please renew it before the retirement date. Retiring Microsoft Credential Credential and exam retirement date Planned training retirement date Related new Credential Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Customer Experience Analyst Associate (Exam MB-280) July 31, 2026 July 31, 2026 Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Sales AI Consultant Associate (Exam AB-210) Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Functional Consultant Associate (Exam PL-200) August 31, 2026 August 31, 2026 Microsoft Certified: Intelligent Applications Builder Associate (Exam AB-410) Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365: Finance and Operations Apps Solution Architect Expert (Exam MB-700) June 30, 2026 June 30, 2026 No new Certification is planned. To stay up to date with these technologies please refer to the Microsoft technical documentation. Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Solution Architect Expert (Exam PL-600) June 30, 2026 June 30, 2026 Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant Expert (Exam MB-335) June 30, 2026 June 30, 2026 Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Field Service Functional Consultant Associate (Exam MB-240) June 30, 2026 June 30, 2026 Microsoft Certified: Power Automate RPA Developer Associate (Exam PL-500) June 30, 2026 June 30, 2026 Microsoft Applied Skills: Create and manage model-driven apps with Power Apps and Dataverse June 30, 2026 June 30, 2026 Microsoft Applied Skills: Build an agent-first app Note: The recently released Microsoft Certified: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect Certification (Exam AB‑100), although not a direct replacement for the retiring Certifications listed here, is the flagship expert‑level Certification, spanning a significantly broader scope and covering agentic architectures, AI‑driven solution design, and end‑to‑end business impact. If you currently hold one of the retiring expert-level Certifications (associated with Exam MB‑700, Exam PL‑600, Exam MB-335, Exam MB-240, or Exam PL-500), consider pursuing the Microsoft Certified: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect Certification (Exam AB‑100) as your next step. Navigating the transition: FAQs The following questions and answers can help you determine how these retirements and expanded portfolio could impact your learning journey: Q. Why is Microsoft implementing these updates? A. Microsoft Credentials are valuable, as is the time you spend earning them. With the ongoing evolutions in technology, it’s essential that we keep the credentials up to date so we can help you stay aligned with latest skills and trends. We’re implementing these updates to provide a valuable path forward to keep up with the latest skills. Q. I’ve already earned one of the retiring Certifications. What happens now? A. If you’ve already earned any of the retiring Certifications, your credential remains valid until it expires. Retirement does not revoke or invalidate Certifications that were earned while the exam was active. They show your continued dedication to staying up to date and learning new skills in this ever-changing technical landscape. Q. What if a Certification that’s retiring is part of the prerequisites for an expert-level Certification? A. If a retiring Certification is required for an expert-level Certification, the requirements for that expert-level Certification will be updated as needed. The retiring Certification will be removed from the requirements and replaced (as appropriate) with a new associate-level Certification. If you’ve earned an expert-level Certification by earning an associate-level Certification that’s now retiring, you’ll continue to hold the expert-level Certification as long as you renew the expert-level Certification when it’s eligible. After you’ve earned a Certification, and if you renew it when it’s eligible, you hold it until it expires. If you’ve earned an associate-level Certification that’s a requirement for an expert-level Certification and that associate-level Certification hasn't expired, it can still satisfy the expert-level requirement. Be sure to meet all the requirements for the expert-level Certification before the associate-level Certification expires. Expired Certifications cannot be used to meet the requirements for an expert-level Certification. Q. Can I renew a soon-to-retire Certification? A. Yes, as long as it’s eligible for renewal and you renew it before the Certification officially retires, you can renew a soon-to-retire Certification. Please note that Fundamentals Certifications don’t expire. Q. Is there a direct transition path from a retiring Certification that I’ve already earned to the related new Certification, or do I need to pass the new exam? A. To earn the new Certification, you need to pass the new exam, since the new exam and the old one don’t measure the same skill sets. Q. I’m preparing for an exam that’s retiring. What should I do? A. The time you spend preparing for an exam and earning a Certification never goes to waste. If you’re actively preparing for an exam that’s retiring and a replacement exam has been announced: If you’ve already registered for the exam, you can continue preparing for it and take it while it’s still available. Keep in mind that after the exam retires, you won’t be able to retake it if you don’t pass, and you won’t be able to renew it. Exam registration ends on the same day that the exam retires. If you haven’t registered for the exam and there’s a related new exam, we strongly recommend that you prepare for and take the new exam instead, as noted in the following table. If you’re not close to testing for this exam Prepare for and take this exam instead Learning path and instructor-led training expected to be available in Exam MB-280 Exam AB-210 April 2026 Exam PL-200 Exam AB-410 April 2026 If you’re preparing for Exam PL-900 to earn the Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals Certification, the new Course PL-900 will be available at the end of June 2026. If you’re preparing for Exam MB-335 to earn the Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant Associate Certification, Exam MB-700 to earn the Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365: Finance and Operations Apps Solution Architect Expert Certification, or Exam PL-600 to earn the Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Solution Architect Expert Certification, consider preparing for and taking Exam AB-100 to earn the Microsoft Certified: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect Certification, the new flagship expert‑level Certification for solutions architects, available now. Note that to earn the Certification, you must pass Exam AB-100 and you must also have a current associate-level Certification. Q. How might these updates impact partner competency requirements? A. To track whether and how these updates might impact partner competency requirements, go to Solutions Partner for Business Applications in the Partner Center. The bigger picture AI is transforming not only what technology can do but also who does the work and how. Whether you’re building agents, designing intelligent apps, transforming sales, or leading enterprise AI strategy, there’s now a Certification that reflects the real skills your role demands. These Certifications can help ensure that you’re not only ready for AI-driven work but you’re also leading it. We’ll share updates for the new AI business solutions Certifications, including beta exams and go-live dates, on The Skills Hub Blog. Stay tuned! Explore more Microsoft Credentials on AI Skills Navigator.How much does real-world practice matter compared to certifications when building skills?
Hi everyone, I’ve been spending time building skills through a mix of hands-on practice and certification preparation, and I’ve noticed there is often a gap between what exams test and what actually comes up in real scenarios. Certifications are useful for structure and validation, but in day-to-day work, troubleshooting, decision-making, and adapting to unexpected issues often seem just as important, sometimes even more. I’m interested in hearing how others here approach this and how they balance certification study with real-world practice. Did earning certifications help more in practical situations or mainly from a career and credibility point of view? And for someone early in their learning journey, what should be prioritized first?Partner Skilling Update
Partner Skilling Update Upcoming events and initiatives Visit the Partner Skilling Resources page to discover the latest partner skilling event calendars, playbooks, and updates, plus register for training sessions that match your business needs. For a full view of the Microsoft Partner Skilling Calendar, click here. NEW: Access the new Sales Skilling Flyer here. Welcome to the New Skilling Hub We’re excited to share the new Skilling Hub—more than just a platform, it’s a partner-driven experience shaped by your feedback. You asked for: A single access point for role-based learning Clear, guided pathways to specialization and certification A streamlined interface for purposeful, personalized learning We listened. The New Skilling Hub unifies all your GPS skilling resources—Microsoft Titan, LevelUp, SureStep, AI Partner Training Days, in-person regional events, and more—into one centralized experience. With single sign-on and simplified navigation, it’s easier than ever to find and register for training that supports your growth. To get started, please re-register on the platform to unlock full access. Get started Updated GPS Solution Areas You’ll also notice refreshed naming across skilling content to better align with today’s technology landscape: Azure → Cloud and AI Platform Modern Work + Business Applications → AI Business Solutions o When needed: § Modern Work = AI Workforce § Business Applications = AI Business Process Security remains unchanged Skilling spotlight LevelUp Update (NEW) Registering is now simpler than ever. Just use your organization alias — no access code needed. LevelUp puts you in control of your learning journey with self-paced courses available in multiple languages for both Technical and Sales roles. And now, you’ll earn badges as you complete courses to show off your progress. Note: Access may vary depending on program capacity at the time of registration. For questions, reach out to LevelUpHelp@technofocus.com. Ready to grow your skills? Register for LevelUp today! Microsoft Titan Skilling Academy Microsoft Titan Skilling Academy offers immersive learning journeys designed to help you deepen your knowledge and expertise across Microsoft solution areas. Choose the path that best fits your role and earn badges in sales, pre-sales, and technical areas to showcase your skills and accomplishments. Become a Microsoft Titan! Register for Microsoft Titan Skilling Academy today! Microsoft Applied Skills: Create agents in Microsoft Copilot Studio Validate your technical skills and open doors to new possibilities of advancement with Microsoft Applied Skills. Take the assessment Sales & Tech Deal Ready Enhance your sales and tech deal ready capabilities with expert-led training to boost your skills, communicate value, and accelerate the customer journey. Partner Power Hour Webinar Series July 22-23, July 29-30, August 12-13 (IST, PDT) Sales & Tech Deal Ready skilling Cloud and AI Platform Enhance your Azure skills to effectively architect, deploy, and implement cloud and AI solutions, ensuring you are project-ready and can drive customer success. Partner Meetup for Microsoft Azure Weekly - Thursdays 8-9AM (PDT) Accelerate Agentic AI July 21-25 (IST, BST, PDT) Microsoft Fabric Workshops (two tracks) July 22-24 (IST, BST, PDT) AI ready July 29-31 (IST, BST, PDT) Cloud and AI Platform skilling AI Business Solutions Enhance your expertise across AI Workforce and AI Business Process to streamline deployments, helping you become the go-to expert for client projects. Transform support with Dynamics 365 Customer Service & Contact Center July 22, 29 (IST, BST, PDT) Simplify agent development with Copilot Studio July 29-31 (IST, BST, PDT) AI Business Solutions skilling Security Accelerate your path to Security certification to master cybersecurity and threat protection, ensuring you can effectively safeguard modern IT environments. Protect Cloud, AI platforms & Apps with Microsoft Defender for Cloud July 29-31 (IST, BST, PDT) Security skilling GitHub Validate your skills with GitHub Copilot to enhance your expertise and drive success across projects. Access the GitHub Copilot study guide, to help prepare for the exam. GitHub Copilot Certification Partner Meetup for Microsoft Azure Join this community to get invited to a series of weekly webinars designed exclusively for Microsoft Partners. These sessions will provide an opportunity to connect with Microsoft Experts and learn about the latest Azure, Data, and AI Services, features, programs, and technical content. Weekly Thursdays PST/PDT Click here to register GPS Consumption-Led Skilling initiative NEW: Solve critical technical skills gaps in your Delivery teams with just-in-time, live private ILT deployment skilling with access to real-world hands-on-lab experiences. This skilling offering is available for MPL SI partners with a confirmed MSX Opportunity ID anchored GTM Solution Plays. The initiative covers a wide range of Solution plays available in the Partner Project Ready Workshop Catalog. ACTION: Please contact CLE_VTEAM@microsoft.com or your PDM, PTS, PSA and Account Executive to submit your training request. Resources LevelUp for Partners Modular training AskSkilling Subscribe to newsletter Americas – English (EN-US) Americas – Portuguese (PT-BR) Americas – Spanish (ES-MX) Asia – English (EN-SG) Asia – Japanese (JA-JP) Asia – Korean (KO-KR) Asia – Simplified Chinese (ZH-CN) Asia – Traditional Chinese (ZH-TW) EMEA – English (EN-GB)Microsoft Learn Cloud Skills Challenge
Complete a challenge for a chance to win a VIP event pass for the next Microsoft Ignite or Microsoft Build! We’re running a sweepstakes for 5 lucky winners to receive a full event pass for the next Microsoft Ignite or Microsoft Build that includes bonus experiences, exclusive access, meet and greets with Microsoft personalities and the opportunity to be showcased by Microsoft Learn. All participants will receive a Microsoft Learn Cloud Skills Challenge badge upon completion of their first challenge. Champion your advantage To celebrate the launch of Microsoft Applied Skills, this Cloud Skills Challenge will feature a selection of challenges designed to help you prepare - and pass - your assessment and earn your new credential. Get the credentials you need to demonstrate proficiency in a specific skillset so you can make a bigger impact on your projects, your organization—and your career. Challenge details The challenge ends on January 15, 2024, at 4:00 PM UTC (16:00). Make sure you have completed your challenge before time runs out. View the list of eligible challenges here. Get started!
Azure IoT Developer Certification - Request for Feedback
Microsoft Azure IoT Developer blueprint survey link: http://microsoftlearning.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bEDhljpqkYMc3Ah Microsoft is updating the Microsoft Azure IoT Developer Specialty certification, and we need your input through our exam blueprinting survey. If you are familiar with the course work or have taken and/or completed the Certification exam, we are asking for just a few minutes of your time to complete a survey that will help us update and refresh it with relevant content! The blueprint determines how many questions each skill in the exam will be assigned. Please complete the online survey by December 11th, 2020. Please also feel free to forward the survey to any colleagues you consider subject matter experts for this certification.Empowering partners with AI: Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat - Skilling Opportunities
We're thrilled to share several new resources and upcoming events to help you harness the full power of Microsoft 365 Copilot and agents. Here’s what’s new: 🚀 Copilot Accelerate Program Update The Copilot Proof of Value engagement kit now includes detailed, scenario-based guidance on building agents and configuring Copilot Analytics. This update helps you deliver an immersive experience that showcases out-of-the-box Copilot capabilities and robust ROI reporting. 👉 Download the Copilot Proof of Value Engagement Kit 📅 Upcoming Partner Skilling Events Innovate with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Build Your Own Agents Workshop When: February 18-20 Discover how Microsoft 365 Copilot enhances creativity, productivity, and skills. Learn about technical requirements, configuring Copilot, and extending its capabilities with plugins. 👉 Register for the Innovate with Microsoft 365 Copilot Event Build and Extend AI-Powered Agents with Copilot Studio Workshop When: March 4-6 Dive into Copilot Studio’s graphical development environment to build AI-powered copilots. Gain hands-on experience in creating solutions that serve both employees and customers. 👉 Register for the Build and Extend AI-Powered Agents Event GitHub & GitHub Copilot Partner Sales Bootcamp When: March 11 This one-day bootcamp is designed to equip you with strategies and best practices for selling GitHub Enterprise, GitHub Copilot, and GitHub Advanced Security (GHAS). 👉 Register for the GitHub & GitHub Copilot Partner Sales Bootcamp 🌟 NEW Digital Event: Level Up Your Skills with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agents Sales Bootcamp: February 25 Technical Bootcamp: February 26-27 Enroll in our Level Up CSP bootcamp series to master both the sales and technical aspects of Microsoft 365 Copilot and agents. This training covers everything from selling strategies to hands-on labs in security and agent configuration. 👉 Learn More and Register for the February Level Up CSP Bootcamps 🎥 On-Demand Resource: Reimagine Your Copilot CSP GTM with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat Missed the live event? Watch the on-demand session to see how the latest Copilot innovations can empower your customers at every stage of their AI journey. 👉 Download the Partner-Ready Event Deck 👉 Watch the Event Recording On Demand 🔄 Updated Copilot Studio Partner Assets We've refreshed several assets on Partner Hub to reflect the latest Copilot Studio enhancements: NEW: Enabling agents in Copilot Chat blog Updated: Agent-powered Business Processes pitch deck & seller guide Updated: Copilot Studio technical pitch deck, governance/security deck, and extensibility pitch deck 👉 Bookmark the Copilot Studio Page on Partner Hub and check back regularly for updates. NEW! Enabling agents in Copilot Chat blog Updated: Agent-powered Business Processes pitch deck Updated: Agent-powered Business Processes seller guide Updated: Copilot Studio technical pitch deck Updated: Copilot Studio: Governance, Security, Administration, and Management deck Updated: Copilot Studio pitch deck Updated: Copilot extensibility pitch deck Stay tuned for more updates and make sure to register for these events to leverage the latest innovations in Copilot and agent technology!
Fabric enablement and certification - Microsoft partner way to go
The purpose of this post is to inform you on the upcoming partner enablement activities and resources to get certified on Microsoft Fabric. If you have any question, don't hesitate to contact me (lwolffhugel@microsoft.com) or anyone from the Microsoft team. Check also the Microsoft Fabric Partner readiness and enablement resources for ready-to-use pitch decks. Microsoft Fabric Workshop - Technical Learn how to implement fabric comprehensive suite through data lake, data integration, data engineering and more. The workshop is composed of recorded instructor-led theory training, live Q&A with experts and hands-on labs. Audience: open to all partners Role: pre-sales & technical roles Level: 200-300 (intermediate-advanced) Format: online When: Feb 5 to 8 (8am-12pm PST), March 4 to 7 (8am to 12pm GMT) Duration: 4 * half days (4* 4 hours) Registration Link to Azure Depth Workshop NEW Fabric Analytics Engineer certification : DP-600 Exam (beta) Learn Together and Exam Cram sessions The 30 Days to Learn It Cloud Skills Challenge Microsoft Fabric Career Hub Microsoft Fabric Hands on Labs Practice Tests (available February 7, 2024) Join our partner community here https://aka.ms/JoinFabricPartnerCommunity to directly engage with Microsoft Fabric engineering team and have access to weekly Fabric Engineering Connection calls to get latest updates on the product as well as knowledge on partner program, offerings, and campaigns we are executing.Join our Modern Work Cloud Week | November 6-10, 2023
Join us and accelerate your path to certification with Modern Work Cloud Week for Partners. These week-long virtual events will teach you about Microsoft 365 and Endpoint administration, Microsoft Teams management, and collaborative communication solutions. It also supports partner organizations in meeting the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program skilling requirements. Each day you will learn from subject matter experts, expand your technical capabilities, and build the skills needed for your role. Available Tracks: MS-102: Microsoft 365 Administrator MD-102: Endpoint Administrator MS-700: Managing Microsoft Teams MS-721: Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Register now!
