BALTIMORE, MD-To help meet the region's demand for a skilled IT workforce, UMBC announces its latest venture in computer training and education--the Computer Certification Training Center (CCTC), formerly Operation Bootstrap. Certification training is offered in A+, Network+, MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional), MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer), MCSE+ I (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer + Internet), MCDBA (Microsoft Certified Database Administrator), MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer), CNA (Certified Novell Administrator), CNE (Certified Novell Engineer) and MOUS (Microsoft Office User Specialist).

The Baltimore-based center provides students with the skills needed to fill the surplus of information technology jobs. Monthly career fairs and workshops on resume writing are also offered. Since the center's opening in December 1997, it has trained approximately 1,800 students with a first-test exam pass rate well above national and local provider averages. Training packages are bundle-priced to include all related services with a tuition that is approximately half the cost of comparable training centers in the private sector.

UMBC leads all other research universities in the production of Information Technology baccalaureate degrees and regularly partners with industry experts to develop customized training and non-credit programs in the most current topics. The affiliation with CCTC takes UMBC's leadership role a step further to provide certification training for professionals in the field and career changers.

UMBC Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director of the project, Doug Kendzierski, said, "This is an ideal alliance. CCTC complements UMBC's long-term strategy of addressing workforce development with a shorter-term solution. In several months, CCTC can add valuable human resources to our region's IT workforce supply-from onset of training to hire."

For more information about CCTC, call (410) 298-7300 or view the CCTC website