LAFAYETTE, CA.
February 7-11, 2000 will mark Global IT Training Week, an Information Technology Training Association (ITTA) initiative to promote the value of IT Education.

"There is a lack of information available to the general public on the rewards of a career in information technology," said ITTA executive director Rachel Cheeseman. "ITTA has created Global IT Training Week as an awareness campaign to educate people on the importance of IT skills in the marketplace."

Global IT Training Week will be a campaign and virtual event hosted by ITTA on the Internet at www.itta.org/getit. The goal is to promote IT education by creating increased public awareness of the skills gap and the career opportunities that are available to individuals that have technical skills.

"Over 50% of ALL capital expenditures in North America are now for Information Technology assets, and Europe is close behind," said Peter Squier, president of ITTA. "The key to a successful return on an IT investment is properly trained users."

Leading companies are actively supporting Global IT Training Week. To date, supporters of Global IT Training Week include Novell, VUE, Sylvan Prometric, Global Training Solutions, CT Institute, Verisign, and CyberStateU.com; and IT publications, Certification Magazine, Inside Technology Training, and IT Training.

"In an era of a burgeoning global IT skills gap, anything our industry can do to help focus attention on the benefits of training and certification helps businesses everywhere," said Steve Hoffman, president of Sylvan Prometric. "We view our participation in ITTA's Global IT Training Week as a wonderful way to promote lifelong learning and demonstrate how certification can make a difference in people's careers."

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates demand for technology professionals to double over the next four years to three million in the U.S. alone. Based on current projections, the number of graduates with technical degrees will not keep pace with demand.

"As an industry, we are challenged by simultaneously addressing present and future gaps in IT skills that are growing exponentially," said Stefan Drege, director of marketing for CT Institute. "Initiatives such as ITTA’s Global IT Training Week are critical to drawing attention to industry needs, and exemplify our industry’s proactive approach to the needs of the global economy that is dependent upon a skilled workforce."

For more information on Global IT Training Week, including information on how you can get involved, visit www.itta.org/getit.

About the ITTA

The Information Technology Training Association is a non-profit global association dedicated to Information Technology training. The Association's more than 700 members train over 5 million people per year.