Certiport Recognizes 2006 Champions of Digital Literacy and IC³ Cup Winners at PATHWAYS World Conference

Certiport Inspiration Award honoree guides nation's construction of 'holistic' plan to bridge Digital Divide

ORLANDO (Certiport PATHWAYS 2006) – August 5, 2006

Certiport today announced the recipients of the 2006 Champions of Digital Literacy award representing countries including Canada, China, El Salvador, Greece and Japan. Named as the Inspiration Award winner among 12 distinguished Champions is Dr. Appu Kuttan, author and renowned authority on developing systems to bridge the Digital Divide. Dr. Kuttan and the Champions of Digital Literacy were honored Saturday during the Certiport PATHWAYS™ 2006 international conference in Orlando, Florida, USA. In addition, winners of the inaugural IC³ Cup, a Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC³®) program competition, were also recognized.

"Champions of Digital Literacy embody the spirit of individuals everywhere who seek out and offer meaningful skills to the digitally isolated," said David Saedi, president and CEO of Certiport. "Digital literacy is the key to empowering individual success, driving economic development in the community and establishing global competitiveness for nations."

Dr. Kuttan was the catalyst for developing a digital literacy initiative that aims to transform the island nation of Mauritius into a service economy and strategic partner with India. Located off the eastern coast of Africa, Mauritius seeks to become an economic bridge between the emerging information technology power and the African continent. The Mauritius initiative will launch Sept. 4, making the achievement of the world's premier digital literacy credential—Certiport IC³—a mandatory requirement for high school graduation. The goal of the Prime Minister and Cabinet of Mauritius, who approved and designated the program as high priority, is to train and certify 400,000 students in IC³ over the next four years.

"Government leaders are always pleased to learn that the power to address the Digital Divide lies within the borders of their own nation," said Kuttan. "Developing a holistic approach to bridging the Divide simply begins by marrying a country's needs with its native resources."

Champions of Digital Literacy celebrates efforts and contributions by individuals in addressing the gap between the digitally skilled and the digitally isolated members of their communities. Nominations were received from around the world and award recipients were selected based on the measurable scope and social impact of their efforts. The Champions of Digital Literacy Inspiration Award is given in recognition of the visionary leadership required to transform communities and nations through large-scale digital literacy initiatives.

Recognized as 2006 Certiport Champions of Digital Literacy are:

• Canada: Carol French, executive director of International Charity Association Network (ICANN)
• Canada: David Penney, founder of the International Charity Association Network (ICANN)
• China: Jiu-Jun Yang, vice president of Jiangsu Province Education Academy of Science
• Costa Rica: Alejandrina Mata Segreda, vice minister of education for Costa Rica Ministry of Public Education
• El Salvador: Rafael Antonio Salom�, technology vice minister for El Salvador Ministry of Education
• Japan: Issei Abe, associate professor of Kyoto Koka Women's University
• Puerto Rico: Richard Martinez, chief information officer for Puerto Rico Department of Education
• United States: Joy Burroughs, teacher at Holbrook Junior High School in Arizona
• United States: Katherine Kawaguchi, assistant superintendent of Hawaii Department of Education
• United States: Senator Norman Sakamoto, Hawaii State Senate
• United States: Roxie Fonohema, lead instructor Skilled2Succeed in Utah

From honoring leaders to celebrating teamwork and collaboration in closing the Digital Divide, Certiport also recognized the top achievers of this year's IC³ Cup at PATHWAYS.

In the corporate division, winners of the IC³ Cup are "The Brainiacs," a team represented by CompUSA. In the academic division Orem Junior High School from Utah was the top-point collector. Each team won over $10,000 in prizes including Dell™ computers, Apple® iPods and team T-shirts. IC³ Cup "coaches" for both teams, Gary Ramey of CompUSA and Phillip Hanney of Orem Junior High School, also won an all-expense-paid trip to Disney World in Orlando for Certiport PATHWAYS 2006.

The IC³ Cup competition, which ended in June, featured teams competing against one another by acquiring skills and credentials mapped to global standards. Teams recruited "players" to benchmark skills and validate training through earning IC³, a global credential.

To learn more about Certiport PATHWAYS 2006, go to www.certiport.com/pathways. For more information about IC³ Cup, please visit www.certiport.com/ic3cup.

Sub-Head

About Certiport

Certiport provides industry-leading training, assessment and certification solutions that enable individuals to develop the skills necessary to achieve more, distinguish themselves and advance in today's academic and business environments. These solutions include the Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC³®), the Microsoft Office Specialist Certification Program and Microsoft IT Academy delivered through a channel of more than 10,000 Certiport Centers worldwide. For more information about Certiport, visit www.certiport.com.

"Certiport" and "IC³" are registered trademarks of Certiport, Inc. in the United States and other countries. "Microsoft" is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Press Contact:

John Pilmer
801-369-7535
mediarelations@certiport.com