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For Immediate Release
Certiport Launches 2004 Worldwide Microsoft® Office Specialist
Academic
Competition
Global Event Expected to Exceed Last Year’s Mark of 50,000 Entrants
SALT LAKE CITY – February 10, 2004 Certiport today announced the 2004
Microsoft Office Specialist Academic Competition as part of its mission to
promote the advancement of computing skills and productivity. This year’s
event will again search the globe for students with the highest Microsoft Word
and Excel skills. More than 50 countries from around the world are expected
to host local competitions to determine Country Champions. In the summer of
2004, each country’s champions will compete in regional and world championships
to determine who will travel to Redmond, Washington, USA, for the grand prize
awards banquet and a tour of the Microsoft facilities. Additional prizes, including
laptop computers, will also be awarded to regional winners.
“
We are looking forward to an exciting competition again in 2004,” said
David Saedi, CEO for Certiport. “Last year’s participation was
exceptional. We expect this year’s event to create even more enthusiasm
among students who want to prove their skills and enjoy the success of Microsoft
Office Specialist certification. Our goal is to raise awareness and provide
an opportunity for students to demonstrate their updated desktop computing
skills.”
Last year’s competition attracted nearly 50,000 student entrants from
around the world and produced 33 national champions, ages 15 to 36 years old.
In May 2003, national champions participated in a final competition to confirm
their world-class abilities to use Microsoft Word and Excel. The competition
attracted entries from students in 42 countries including Germany, Greece,
Italy, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines,
Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the Unites
States. Last year’s world champions traveled from Ireland and Italy to
Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters to celebrate their achievement.
For more information about the 2004 Microsoft Office Specialist Academic Competition
and to track top scores visit www.officecompetition.com.
About Certiport
Certiport is the leading provider of global, performance-based certification
programs and services designed to enable individual success and lifetime
advancement. Certiport is a pioneer in performance-based testing, data management
systems, and developing certification programs, including Microsoft® Office
Specialist and Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC³), through
intensive research and professional validation processes. For more information
about Certiport, visit www.certiport.com.
Certiport is a registered trademark of Certiport, Inc. in the United States
and other countries. Microsoft and the Microsoft Office logo are registered
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries;
and the Microsoft Office Specialist Logo is used under license from owner.
Press Contact:
John Pilmer
801-369-7535
mediarelations@certiport.com
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