The Gift of Giving: An Accessible IT Certification in the Developing World (Toronto, ON - December 22, 2004) The Linux Professional Institute (LPI), (http://www.lpi.org), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and British training company LinuxIT (http://www.linuxit.com), have embarked on an aggressive campaign to provide new initiatives for high quality, low-cost Linux education and certification.
The UNDP, together with LinuxIT, are supporting the creation of high-quality Linux courseware to be distributed freely under an open source license. Complementing this initiative, LPI is working with the UNDP to provide world-standard Linux skills certification at reduced cost in developing countries in South Asia. "The very essence of the Linux community is built around the premise of sharing. Linux and other open source software is created by highly skilled programmers who then allow their code to be modified and copied without restriction. Similarly, those who are not programmers but who can offer their skills and resources to support and advance open source are also stepping forward. This project is a perfect example of organizations working together to offer the gift of learning, and the opportunity for Linux certification, to the developing nations of the world,� said Evan Leibovitch, President of LPI. The UNDP, through its Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme and International Open Source Network, recently identified the need for Linux certification in developing countries in South East Asia. Such certification was identified as a necessary prerequisite in building local open source IT infrastructure, and make countries in the region more globally competitive. Unfortunately a significant barrier to such an initiative was the high cost of certification relative to average incomes in many of the countries in the region. The collaboration between LPI, LinuxIT and the UNDP, addresses this obstacle by offering low-cost solutions through the training of proctors from various South East Asian countries, who will be equipped to administer local LPI examinations throughout the region. In November, the UNDP and LPI co-sponsored a training session in Ho Chi Minh City which prepared proctors from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam. Vietnam was chosen as the ideal host for this project because of the country's existing Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) initiatives, and the government's endorsement, via an extensive 5-year plan, to encourage FOSS usage. The Ho Chi Minh City Government's Information Technology Projects Management Office also supported this effort. To support the certification initiatives, the UNDP supplied no-charge training materials, which were made possible when British courseware publisher LinuxIT released its LPI manuals under an open source license. Adrian Thomasset, Training Manager at LinuxIT, said: "We are continuously striving to provide the user community with professional training and support. Being part of this initiative, we are able to extend the reach of the LPI training courses to those unable to afford the usual fees. It also allows us to share our experience and investment, so that the developing world can benefit from the work that went into creating the manuals." As part of its training and certification initiatives, the UNDP will supervise the enhancement of the open source training materials, so that they may meet LPI Approved Training Materials (LATM) standards while maintaining their freely-copyable character. "We believe that open access training materials, in conjunction with affordable internationally-recognized, distribution neutral and vendor-independent Linux skills certification are critical components in addressing the issue of qualified human resource shortages. Together with LPI, IOSN has plans to support the development of the training materials, and the introduction of sustainable Linux training and certification, to other countries in the Asia-Pacific region," said Khairil Yusof, Manager of IOSN. Globally, LPI's certification program has delivered over 65,000 certification exams since the program's inception in 2000. LPI supports affiliate networks in countries on five continents worldwide, including Brazil, Bulgaria, Jamaica, United States, Japan, Canada, Germany, Australia, China, France, the UK and South Africa. For additional information, contact: The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) (http://www.lpi.org); LinuxIT (http://www.linuxit.com); The International Open Source Network (IOSN)(http://www.iosn.net), or The Asia-Pacific Information Development Programme (ADIP)(http://www.apdip.net). - 30 - About Linux Professional Institute: The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) is the global standard in Linux certification. LPI develops professional certification for the Linux operating system that is trusted, accessible and independent. Established as an international non-profit organization in 1999 by the Linux community, LPI's internationally-recognized certification programs has earned the respect of vendors, employers and administrators. LPI's multi-level program of exams are available in seven languages, and are administered globally through Pearson VUE and Prometric testing centers. LPI's activities involve hundreds of volunteers and professionals throughout the world in many different capacities, and the group encourages active public involvement through mailing lists and its website at www.lpi.org. LPI's major financial sponsors are Platinum Sponsors IBM (NYSE:IBM), Maxspeed, SGI (NYSE:SGI), SuSE Linux AG and TurboLinux as well as Gold Sponsors Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HWP), W ave Technologies and Linux Magazine. About International Open Source Network: The International Open Source Network (IOSN - http://www.iosn.net) is a Centre of Excellence for Free/Open Source Software in the Asia-Pacific Region. IOSN is an initiative of the Asia-Pacific Information Development Programme (APDIP - http://www.apdip.net), which has been supporting the strategic and effective use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) for poverty alleviation and sustainable human development in the Asia-Pacific region since 1997. Via a small secretariat, the IOSN is tasked specifically to facilitate and network Free/Open Source Software advocates and human resources in the region. Contact Information: Scott Lamberton Director of Community Relations Linux Professional Institute http://www.lpi.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] +1-416-666-1574 _______________________________________________ lpi-announce mailing list [email protected] http://list.lpi.org/mailman/listinfo/lpi-announce
