Contact: Chris Chesrown
Media Relations Manager
480-731-8503

For Immediate Release

MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGES PARTNER WITH MICROSOFT ACADEMY TO TRAIN I-T EDUCATORS IN FOUR STATE REGION

February 6, 2002 - Cutting-edge technology training will soon be offered to secondary and postsecondary faculty thanks to a partnership between the Maricopa Community Colleges and Microsoft Corporation. The cutting-edge program is the only one of its kind in a four-state region and is designed to empower educators in providing the training that meets the demands of today's IT professional workplace.

"The Maricopa Community Colleges were selected to train faculty for Microsoft IT Academy because of the district's reputation as an innovative leader in providing information technology and work-force development education," said Diana Carew, program manager of Workforce Development for the Education Solutions Group at Microsoft.

"We have a commitment to helping people get the training they need to either find good jobs, or advance in their careers," said Mary Vanis, Director of the Maricopa Community Colleges Center for Workforce Development. "This program gives us access to new software before its general release date, so that educators can be trained ahead of time."

The Microsoft IT Academy will be located on the campus of Chandler-Gilbert Community College. Educators from colleges and universities in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Nevada, as well as elsewhere, will be able to get advanced training to take back to their institutions and teach students.

In the United States, the demand for skilled IT workers continues to outpace the number of qualified applicants. Four of the five fastest-growing occupations are computer related, and employment in this sector is expected to grow by more than 100-percent through 2008, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor.

The Microsoft IT Academy will be holding an open house on Friday, February 15, 2002, from 2:00pm to 4:00pm at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, 2626 E. Pecos Road, Room C-110 on the Northeast side of campus. RSVP to Darren Hobbs 480-732-7256.

The Maricopa County Community College District is one of the largest community college districts in the nation. It includes 10 colleges - Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Estrella Mountain Community College, GateWay Community College, Glendale Community College, Mesa Community College, Paradise Valley Community College, Phoenix College, Rio Salado College, Scottsdale Community College and South Mountain Community College. The District also includes the Maricopa Skill Center, Southwest Skill Center, several satellite campuses and business/industry, technical and customized training institutes and serves more than 277,000 students annually. For more information: 480-731-8000 or www.maricopa.edu

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March 13, 2002