{"id":7123,"date":"2026-09-09T14:13:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T12:13:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?p=191144"},"modified":"2026-09-09T14:13:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T12:13:27","slug":"are-your-experienced-excel-users-ready-for-modern-excel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/are-your-experienced-excel-users-ready-for-modern-excel\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Your Experienced Excel Users Ready for Modern Excel?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Sandton:\u00a0<\/strong>Many businesses have employees who are considered the Excel experts in their departments.<\/p>\n<p>They know formulas. They build PivotTables. They produce monthly reports. Colleagues turn to them when a spreadsheet goes wrong.<\/p>\n<p>But there is an important question businesses should now be asking.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Are those employees advanced in the Excel they learned years ago \u2014 or are they keeping pace with the Excel available today?<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>CAG Executive Question of the Week<\/h2>\n<p><strong>How much productive time could your experienced Excel users save if they replaced older spreadsheet methods with newer ways of analysing, preparing and reporting data?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Microsoft Excel has changed considerably.<\/p>\n<p>The challenge is that many experienced users have not had a reason to change with it.<\/p>\n<h2>Experience Does Not Always Mean Modern Skills<\/h2>\n<p>Someone who has worked with Excel for ten or fifteen years may be highly capable.<\/p>\n<p>But experience can also create habits.<\/p>\n<p>A report that has been prepared the same way every month for five years may still work perfectly well.<\/p>\n<p>That does not necessarily mean it is the most efficient way to produce it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Employees may still be:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Copying and pasting data between worksheets.<\/li>\n<li>Using older lookup techniques where newer alternatives are available.<\/li>\n<li>Manually preparing recurring reports.<\/li>\n<li>Repeating data-cleaning processes every month.<\/li>\n<li>Building complicated formulas that newer Excel functionality could simplify.<\/li>\n<li>Spending valuable time restructuring information before they can analyse it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>None of these necessarily indicates poor Excel skills.<\/p>\n<p>They may simply indicate that the employee&#8217;s Excel knowledge has not kept pace with the application.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>\u201cOne of the risks with Excel is that a process can work for years, so nobody questions whether there is now a better way to do it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Arnold Muscat, Director, College Africa Group<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>What Has Changed in Modern Excel?<\/h2>\n<p>Modern Excel gives experienced users different ways to approach familiar business problems.<\/p>\n<p>Dynamic arrays can change how formulas and results are constructed.<\/p>\n<p>XLOOKUP provides a more flexible approach to many lookup requirements.<\/p>\n<p>Power Query can transform repetitive data preparation from a monthly manual exercise into a repeatable process.<\/p>\n<p>Microsoft 365 continues to introduce functionality that was simply not available when many experienced Excel users originally developed their skills.<\/p>\n<p>This is the focus of College Africa Group&#8217;s <strong>Advanced Modern Excel training<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The objective is not to discard traditional Excel knowledge.<\/p>\n<p>It is to build on it.<\/p>\n<h2>From Spreadsheet Skills to Business Analysis<\/h2>\n<p>Modern Excel training should also go beyond learning newer functions.<\/p>\n<p>Businesses increasingly need employees who can take information and use it to support decisions.<\/p>\n<p>That requires more than formulas.<\/p>\n<p>Employees may need to model different outcomes, test assumptions, analyse alternatives and present information in a way that managers can use.<\/p>\n<p>College Africa Group&#8217;s <strong>Advanced Analysis &amp; Productivity<\/strong> training focuses on this next level of Excel capability, including XLOOKUP, What-If Analysis and business modelling.<\/p>\n<p>The real progression is therefore not:<\/p>\n<p><strong>More Excel functions = more advanced.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It is:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Better Excel skills = better analysis, less manual work and better business decisions.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Power Query Changes the Productivity Discussion<\/h2>\n<p>Consider a Finance employee who receives several data files every month.<\/p>\n<p>Before reporting can begin, the employee has to clean the information, remove unnecessary columns, correct formats, combine data and prepare it for analysis.<\/p>\n<p>The employee may be extremely good at doing this.<\/p>\n<p>But the business should still ask why the same preparation work is being repeated every month.<\/p>\n<p>Power Query introduces a different way of thinking about the problem.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of becoming faster at repeating the process, the employee can begin building a process that can be repeated more efficiently.<\/p>\n<p>That distinction matters.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Productivity is not simply doing manual work faster. It is reducing the amount of manual work that needs to be done.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>And Then There Is AI<\/h2>\n<p>AI adds another layer to modern Excel.<\/p>\n<p>ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot can help users understand formulas, explore approaches to analysis, troubleshoot problems and interpret information.<\/p>\n<p>But AI does not remove the need for Excel knowledge.<\/p>\n<p>In some respects, it makes strong Excel skills more important.<\/p>\n<p>An AI-generated formula may look convincing and still be wrong.<\/p>\n<p>An analysis may sound authoritative while relying on an incorrect assumption.<\/p>\n<p>The employee remains responsible for validating the data, calculation and business conclusion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AI produces an answer. The employee remains accountable for whether that answer makes sense.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>What Should Businesses Be Looking For?<\/h2>\n<p>The objective is not to turn every employee into an Excel specialist.<\/p>\n<p>Businesses should identify where stronger or more modern Excel capability would produce a meaningful workplace improvement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Look for opportunities such as:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Recurring reports that consume unnecessary time.<\/li>\n<li>Repetitive data-cleaning and preparation.<\/li>\n<li>Spreadsheet processes dependent on one experienced employee.<\/li>\n<li>Complex formulas that are difficult to maintain.<\/li>\n<li>Manual analysis that could be made more efficient.<\/li>\n<li>Management information that takes too long to produce.<\/li>\n<li>Employees using AI-generated formulas without sufficient validation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are not simply Excel issues.<\/p>\n<p>They are business productivity issues.<\/p>\n<h2>Is It Time to Modernise Your Excel Skills?<\/h2>\n<p>Traditional Advanced Excel knowledge remains valuable.<\/p>\n<p>But organisations should not assume that years of Excel experience automatically mean employees are using the most effective tools available today.<\/p>\n<p>College Africa Group&#8217;s <strong>Advanced Modern Excel<\/strong> training helps experienced users extend their existing knowledge into newer Excel functionality, dynamic formulas, Power Query and modern approaches to working with business data.<\/p>\n<p>For employees who need stronger analytical and decision-support capability, <strong>Advanced Analysis &amp; Productivity<\/strong> develops skills in XLOOKUP, What-If Analysis and business modelling.<\/p>\n<p>The goal is not to learn Excel for the sake of learning Excel.<\/p>\n<p>It is to spend less time manipulating spreadsheets and more time using information productively.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Better Business Processes. Stronger Workplace Skills. Smarter AI. Greater Business Productivity.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Contact details<\/li>\n<li>Arnold Muscat<\/li>\n<li>? +27 (0) 83 778 4903<br \/>\n?? sales@collegeafricagroup.com<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Images:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_191145\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-191145\" style=\"width: 853px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?attachment_id=191145\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-191145 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Are-Your-Employees-Ready-for-Modern-Excel-scaled.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Are-Your-Employees-Ready-for-Modern-Excel-scaled.png 853w, https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Are-Your-Employees-Ready-for-Modern-Excel-521x625.png 521w, https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Are-Your-Employees-Ready-for-Modern-Excel-250x300.png 250w, https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Are-Your-Employees-Ready-for-Modern-Excel-768x922.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-191145\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Modern Excel skills help experienced users reduce manual work, improve data analysis and turn business information into better decisions.. Photo: A Muscat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Video:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@collegeafricaexcelvideotip1434\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@collegeafricaexcelvideotip1434<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Are Your Experienced Excel Users Ready for Modern Excel?<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Links:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/Are Your Experienced Excel Users Ready for Modern Excel?\/2\/\">Boilerplate and Editor&#8217;s Notes<\/a><\/strong>.<br \/>\n<strong>More Info on <a href=\"https:\/\/collegeafricagroup.com\/advanced-modern-excel-365-training\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Are Your Experienced Excel Users Ready for Modern Excel?<\/a> here:<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>X<\/strong>:<br \/>\n<strong>LinkedIn<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/9491250\/admin\/dashboard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/9491250\/admin\/dashboard\/<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Facebook<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CollegeAfrica\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CollegeAfrica<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Phone<\/strong>: +27 (0) 83 778 4903<br \/>\n<strong>Email<\/strong> sales@collegeafricagroup.com<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/save-with-myprs-monthly-flat-fee\/\">CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>A MyPR Featured Press Release: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/are-your-experienced-excel-users-ready-for-modern-excel\/\" target=\"_blank\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to read the original.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sandton:\u00a0Many businesses have employees who are considered the Excel experts in their departments. They know formulas. They build PivotTables. They produce monthly reports. Colleagues turn to them when a spreadsheet goes wrong. But there is an important question businesses should now be asking. Are those employees advanced in the Excel they learned years ago \u2014 &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7030,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[{"did":"did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic","date":"2026-09-09T12:13:40+00:00","uri":"at:\/\/did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mv3j64u7rp2s","response":"{\"uri\":\"at:\/\/did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mv3j64u7rp2s\",\"cid\":\"bafyreih5klgp3uow65lhdvxflfbpupr4ujzffyowhnnholipwgrpudojue\",\"commit\":{\"cid\":\"bafyreicivdpeleosiqtefk3wjvvtb5dbdoaecowjtn4i4hnebcx7xrz2bu\",\"rev\":\"3mv3j64umhx2s\"},\"validationStatus\":\"valid\"}"}],"autoblue_post_url":"","autoblue_publish_document":false,"republication-tracker-tool-hide-widget":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,3],"tags":[38,34],"class_list":["type-post","category-featured","category-news","tag-featured","tag-mypr","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}