Certiport Shares Workforce Roadmap to Knowledge Economy at International Technology and Knowledge Conference

Certiport CEO David Saedi introduces “gateway to the Knowledge Society” at T.Con.06 event featuring keynote speaker former U.S. President Bill Clinton

MONTERREY, MÉXICO – November 21, 2006

Certiport President and CEO David Saedi presented a globally proven methodology to facilitate the development of Knowledge Societies with current and relevant skills at the “International Conference on Technology and Knowledge” (T.Con.06) November 17. This education strategy to foster 21st Century skills, innovation and economic development is currently being adopted by national governments in Costa Rica, the Navajo Nation, the Bahamas and Mauritius among others.

“The gateway to the Knowledge Society is through the combination of current and relevant education mapped to global standards and supported by technology,” Saedi said. “Skills-based certifications will play an increasingly important role in bridging gaps between traditional education models and the demands of the new economy.”

Saedi’s address delivered to an international body composed of leaders at the highest levels in government, education and business from 13 Latin American and Caribbean member countries discussed the role of digital literacy as the new requirement essential for optimizing education and economic growth. Saedi said nations must act with urgency to build programs that develop the digital literacy of their citizenry to become Knowledge Workers. The new economy already creates 20% of knowledge careers that can be performed from any geographic location.

“Countries adopting digital literacy as a national priority will lead their population to succeed in the globally competitive economies of the 21st Century,” he added.

Dr. Joe Shirley, Jr., President of the Navajo Nation, spoke about his people’s progress in developing a self-sustaining economic model. Certiport and the Navajo Nation are partners in a large-scale project with OnSat, a deliverer of wireless Internet service, to provide a full solution encompassing digital access and skills to Navajo youth looking to gain a foothold in the Knowledge Economy.

“Instead of sending our children off the Nation to get an education, we are working to use technology to bring education, job training and certification to our lands,” Shirley said.

Earlier in the conference, former U.S. President Bill Clinton set the tone for the remainder of the gathering by urging national government and educational leaders in the region to provide tools for Latin American populations by aiding them in the acquisition of technology skills.

“Every Latin American student must become computer literate as soon as possible,” President Clinton said.

Apart from President Clinton, the conference boasted the participation of such eminent leaders as Mexican Education Minister Reyes Tamez Guerra; Honorary Latin American Business Council President Enrique Madero Bracho; researchers Jaume Sarramona and Pablo Latapí, as well as other notables. The conference’s 2,000 attendees represented a regional intersection of government, education and business leaders interested in topics related to learning-process technologies, innovation and Knowledge Societies.

“The final destination for Latin American nations in this century will be to turn themselves into knowledge-based societies by creating a common space for collaboration, learning and knowledge construction,” said German Escoria, conference organizer and president of the International Academy on Technology and Knowledge.

The conference, held in Monterrey, México, allowed the Instituto Latinoamericano de Comunicación Educativa (ILCE) to promote an exchange of ideas with other expert international bodies, such as the Clinton Foundation and the Academia Internacional de Tecnología y Conocimiento (AiTyC) and Certiport. Self-dubbed the “International City of Knowledge,” metropolitan Monterrey is the site of an alliance formed between the various sectors of the community in 2004 with the purpose of triggering a knowledge economy that promotes social and economic development in the community.

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.

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John Pilmer
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