REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 14, 2003 — Microsoft Corp. today encouraged users of Microsoft®
Office Project 2003 to become certified in the use of this application through the certification curriculum offered by International Institute for Learning Inc. (IIL). IIL’s White Belt certification, designed for people who are new to Project 2003, teaches users to create schedules. This certification will replace the previously recommended Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) certification with the scheduled Oct. 21, 2003 release of Project 2003.
IIL also offers subsequent levels of certification, including these:
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Orange Belt for experienced project managers
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Blue Belt for multiproject and program managers
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Black Belt for project office staff
These courses, developed under the direction of IIL Vice President of the Microsoft EPM Division Eric Uyttewaal, are offered using three learning options: live eLearning, providing instructor-led, interactive classes online; traditional classroom instruction held at one of many IIL locations worldwide; and self-study, designed specifically for the White Belt and Orange Belt certification. IIL also offers the certification curricula in association with New York University (NYU) for those students who want to receive a letter grade, transcript and certificate of completion from the prestigious educational institution.
“IIL is a valuable training and curriculum provider for Microsoft Office Project 2003 technologies and enterprise project management methodologies,” said Chris Capossela, general manager of the Project Business Unit at Microsoft. “The company has trained thousands of customers and partners to successfully manage projects using Microsoft Project. IIL has established well-recognized certificates in the industry and has been certifying Microsoft Project users since 1999. The quality of IIL’s services and consistent delivery helped us in the selection process.”
Microsoft will complement IIL’s certification curriculum with a new certification option for consultants and information technology (IT) professionals who deploy the Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Solution. In January 2004, Microsoft plans to release a new course and associated certification exam in the Microsoft Official Curriculum, called “Planning, Deploying and Managing an Enterprise Project Management Solution.”
“We have always embraced the excellence, applicability and usability of Microsoft Office Project and have worked hard to design the most effective certification curriculum in the industry,” said E. LaVerne Johnson, president and CEO of IIL. “The eLearning/online and traditional classroom certification programs allow IIL to reach out to all corners of the world to users of Project and the EPM Solution. We intend to stay right in sync with new releases of this valuable product as we continually develop new curriculum and certification options that help meet our customers’ goals.”
About International Institute for Learning
International Institute for Learning, headquartered in New York and with offices throughout the world, is a global leader in Microsoft Office Project 2003 (including Project Server installations), Project Management, Six Sigma and Theory of Constraints corporate solutions. IIL helps organizations to do more with less through effective management of people, processes and technologies. IIL services include public courses: traditional classroom as well as instructor-led eLearning classroom and leadership simulation programs; self-paced learning programs; group training programs; competency management services; courseware development; a PM (Web-based) methodology; PM Office implementations; training needs analysis; training administrations services; onsite training and specific consulting and mentoring services.
IIL’s trainers and consultants, headed by Dr. Harold Kerzner, offer clients a broad and diverse range of work experiences that are unparalleled in the field of national and international program management. Close to half a million people have gone through IIL’s Project Management programs. IIL is a PMI Chartered Registered Educational Provider and a member of the PMI Corporate Council (visit http://www.iil.com/ or call (800) 325-1533 for further information about IIL). IIL owns and operates the global Web portal allPM.com, a free resource for project managers throughout the world (visit http://www.allpm.com/ ).
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
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