IT Skills and Certification Training Now Live and Available
To U.S. Air Force Personnel Worldwide
NASHUA, N.H., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
SkillSoft PLC (Nasdaq: SKIL), a leading provider of e-learning courseware and
referenceware for business and IT professionals, and the Air Force
Communications Agency (AFCA) today announced a four-year purchase agreement
that will give U.S. Air Force military and civilian personnel worldwide access
to 1,200 IT courses, which will be accessed, tracked, and managed through
SkillSoft's hosted learning management platform. The first of four planned
annual work orders was issued by the AFCA on November 7, 2002.
The SkillSoft e-learning offering, launched on November 7, 2002, will
support the Air Force Computer-Based Training Program (AFCBT), which provides
Air Force personnel with interactive, multimedia, self-paced CBT information
technology courseware to meet critical Air Force technology training
requirements. Under the agreement, all U.S. Air Force personnel worldwide
will have unlimited access to the 1,200 courses and mentoring services
covering technology areas such as software development, operating systems,
server technologies, internet and network technologies, database systems, and
desktop computer skills. The SkillSoft e-learning content also supports more
than 40 industry certification programs such as A+, Network+, Cisco Certified
Network Associate, and Microsoft Certified System Engineer.
The SkillSoft contract also includes 24x7 online mentoring that provides
real-time performance support by connecting learners with vendor-certified
experts who can assist them in mastering course materials. SkillSoft has
subcontracted with EDS to provide ongoing project management, system
administration, and quality assurance support.
"The objective of this contract is to provide Air Force personnel with the
most effective information technology learning experience possible," said
Markus Rogers, chief of the Training Management Branch for the AFCA.
"Services such as round-the-clock online mentoring will enhance the skill
development of our personnel and help improve their mission readiness."
"The selection process for this contract was one of the most rigorous
we've ever experienced," said Chuck Moran, president and CEO of SkillSoft.
"The U.S. Air Force has been a long-standing leader in providing technical,
state-of-the-art training to personnel working all over the globe. We are
honored to be selected for this important USAF learning initiative."
About SkillSoft
SkillSoft is a leading provider of e-learning courseware and referenceware
for business and IT professionals. SkillSoft products and services are
designed to accelerate the ability of today's workforce to master the business
and technology skills required for competitive success. The company currently
has more than 2,800 corporate customers worldwide and more than 4.5 million
licensed users.
SkillSoft focuses on meeting the comprehensive business skills and
information technology learning needs of professionals in Global 5000
organizations through a comprehensive range of content-focused, e-learning
solutions, including:
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Business Skills Library: More than 1,600 courseware and simulation
titles encompassing professional effectiveness, management/leadership,
project management, sales & customer-facing skills, business
strategy/operations, finance, human resources, safety/health and
financial services industry. Courses feature strong visual design; a
focus on instructional objectives at the application and analysis
levels; learner interactivity and reinforcement through RolePlays,
SkillSimulations, and case studies; and pre- and post-course
assessments with prescriptive learning capabilities.
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IT Skills and Certification Library: More than 2,800 course titles
encompassing software development, operating systems and server
technologies, Internet and network technologies, enterprise database
systems, web design, and desktop computer skills. The IT library also
supports more than 40 certification programs.
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ITPro and Business Pro Referenceware: More than 2,500 unabridged IT and
business books and reports are available to online subscribers through
SkillSoft's subsidiary, Books24x7. A unique, patent-pending search
engine gives subscribers the ability to perform multi-level searches.
SkillSoft customers include organizations such as: First Union, Clarica
(Canada), Fluor Corporation, Verizon, U.S. Army, Deloitte Consulting,
Raytheon, IBM, Internal Revenue Service, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Army
National Guard, Dell Computers, Qwest, Department of Transportation, NEC
America, British Telecom and Wells Fargo.
SkillSoft, SkillPort, RolePlay, Search-and-Learn, e-Learning for the
Knowledge Economy, NetUniversity, and Accelerated Path are trademarks and/or
servicemarks of SkillSoft Corporation. Books24x7.com and Referenceware are
servicemarks of Books24x7, Inc. All brand names, trademarks, or registered
trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
Safe Harbor: This release includes information that constitutes forward-
looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any such forward-looking statements
involve risk and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from any future results encompassed within the forward-looking
statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences
include difficulties in integrating the organizations of SmartForce and
SkillSoft, competitive pressures, changes in customer demands or industry
standards, adverse economic conditions, loss of key personnel, litigation and
other matters disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the SkillSoft's
most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and its proxy statement/prospectus
dated August 5, 2002, each as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. The forward-looking information provided in this press release
represents the company's estimates as of December 2002. We anticipate that
subsequent events and developments will cause the company's estimates to
change. However, while the company may elect to update this forward-looking
financial information at some point in the future, the company specifically
disclaims any obligation to do so. This forward-looking information should not
be relied upon as representing the company's estimates of its future financial
performance as of any date subsequent to the date of this release.
SOURCE SkillSoft PLC
CONTACT: Linda Galloway of Apollo Associates, +1-203-790-1591; or Dennis
Brown of SkillSoft, +1-630-707-9024, dbrown@skillsoft.com
