Microsoft Helps Bring Technology Training to Educators

ATLANTA, June 9, 1999 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education (DTAE) will be the first site to pilot the Microsoft® Academic Professional Development Center program, which will help schools across the nation deliver in-service faculty and technical staff training in Microsoft operating systems, the BackOffice® family and development tools. The announcement was made during DTAE’s dedication of a $1.3 million addition to the Atlanta Technical Institute by Georgia Gov. Roy E. Barnes and DTAE Commissioner Kenneth H. Breeden.

The Microsoft Academic Professional Development Center program will enable schools, whether small institutions or large educational systems like DTAE, to certify faculty and technical staff at their own training facilities with certified instructors. Faculty members will return to their own schools with the training and certification necessary to begin teaching Microsoft Authorized Academic Training Provider (AATP) program courses to students.

The Microsoft AATP program is a formal technology training and support program designed to prepare high-school, community college, technical college and four-year college students for careers as network managers, systems administrators and programmers. The goal of the AATP program is to provide training on and certification in Microsoft application development and Microsoft server and networking technologies — such as the Visual Basic® development system and the Microsoft Windows NT® , Windows® 95 and Windows 98 operating systems — in an environment that is convenient and affordable for students and educational institutions.

“By working with DTAE, we will be able to design a technology training program that will not only benefit the state of Georgia, but faculty and students all over the country,”
said Marty Paradise, general manager of the Microsoft Southeast Field Office.
“Microsoft is committed to working with colleges and universities to ensure that college students, faculty members and staff have access to the top-quality training needed to meet the growing demand for information technology skills.”

“In my conversations with various leaders, I have found that the No. 1 issue facing these companies is the shortage of qualified information technology professionals to deliver products and services,”
said Governor Barnes.
“I am pleased that Microsoft has chosen Georgia and DTAE for this program, which will prepare many people for significant employment in the technology sector.”

According to Breeden, the Microsoft Academic Professional Development Center program will enable DTAE, which oversees the state’s system of technical institutes and associated colleges and a host of economic and work-force development programs, to provide
in-service training to more than 100 faculty members in the first year and will save the state significant professional development dollars.

“Work-force development is DTAE’s business in Georgia, and we recognize that a well-trained work force begins in the classroom with high-quality instruction,”
Commissioner Breeden said.
“With technology advancing so rapidly, the demands on information technology faculty members to remain current are great. The Academic Professional Development Center provides us with the mechanism to train and certify our faculty and staff on the latest information technology products and applications and keep them current. These highly trained, industry-certified faculty members will return to DTAE classrooms across Georgia, where they will prepare thousands of information technology professionals for the 21st-century workplace.”

The Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education is responsible for the administration of 33 technical institutes, 17 satellite campuses, and technical programs at four state colleges. These schools provide a broad range of career opportunities through a variety of associate degree and diploma programs, continuing education programs and economic development programs.

Launched in 1995, the Microsoft AATP program has seen an increase of more than 400 percent in the number of participating schools, now covering 48 states and nine Canadian provinces in North America and 38 countries worldwide. AATP provides tools, resources and curricula to help approved schools offer courses that equip students with highly sought-after information technology skills and prepare them for Microsoft Certified Professional exams. More information on ways that schools can participate in the AATP program is available on the Web at http://www.microsoft.com/aatp/ .

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft, BackOffice, Visual Basic, Windows NT and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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