Holker’s Will passes his Azure 900 exam

William Haythornthwaite, a first line apprentice at Holker, has been studying hard to pass the intensive certification.

Will has demonstrated a solid understanding of core data concepts, such as relational data, nonrelational data, big data, and analytics. Plus, familiarity with the roles, tasks, and responsibilities in the world of data and data analytics to achieve the certification.

The AZ-900 exam, which is the one required exam to earn the Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals certification.

Will, who joined Holker straight from Burnley College on an apprenticeship, still attends lectures one day a week and the rest of the time he is mentored by Holker’s staff.

Will, 19, from Barnoldswick, said: “I’m really enjoying the best of both worlds. College gives me the technical insights, while my time at Holker gives me the opportunity to put that knowledge into practice and gives me real life experience.”

Last year, Will successfully completed his MS900 exam, which tested his knowledge on security, compliance, cloud computing, Intune and onboarding.

A typical day for Will includes phone calls with customers, issuing tickets, setting up new users, as well as ongoing training and mentoring.

Next, Will plans to study for his Security 900 and AI fundamentals before sitting his MD-100 and MD-101 exams.

In his spare time, he has been spending time in the data centre with colleagues to improve his knowledge and put theory into practice.

Will added: “I want to ensure I have a good level of knowledge and experience.”