Acer Employees Get Knowledge Boost from U21Global

Customised course to impart valuable industry-specific knowledge to regional sales professionals of world's third-largest IT vendor

Dubai, UAE, 14 December, 2008 - U21Global, the world's premier online graduate school, today announced a collaboration with Acer Computer Middle East to develop a customised sales training programme that will equip Acer's sales teams with best-in-class sales competencies relevant in the global context, to boost their competitive level of responsiveness to market changes and demands.

The course, termed ASPIRE - Acer Sales Professional Certificate Programme (ASPCP) is a 24-week customised course for the Middle East division of Acer, the world's third-largest IT vendor. The flexible blended programme is designed to provide participants with a sound understanding of sales and other functions' fundamentals that will help them excel in an increasingly globalised world. Modules covered under the programme include Sales and Marketing Management, Management of Services, Organisational Behaviour, Supply Chain Management, and Finance and Financial Statements.

"Acer's greatest asset has always been its people and we recognise the strategic importance of education in providing our employees a knowledge advantage over our competitors, as well as a retention strategy in attracting and keeping the best staff in the industry. This initiative will make our employees better equipped to thrive in today's dynamic and competitive business environment," said Krishna Murthy, Deputy Managing Director of Acer Computer Middle East.

The programme, a blend of virtual classroom "webinars" and face-to-face sessions led by U21Global professors with extensive industry experience, maximises learning and minimises employees' time away from their daily work responsibilities.

J. Trivikram, Human Resource Manager of Acer Computer Middle East said, "The U21Global course is distinctive not only because it is highly customised to our industry and to our organisation's specific business issues and real-life work situations, but also because it is learner-focused. In addition, the flexibility of U21Global's online education model will allow our employees to receive such education while carrying on their professional careers."

On the launch of the ASPIRE - ASPCP course, Nick Hutton, CEO of U21Global, said, "Most companies recognise that the more knowledge they provide their employees, the better they will perform. The problem for organisations is that it's not easy to find the right course offering the right curriculum for the right business situation. However, this is exactly what U21Global has years of expertise in developing - courses that help organisations and HR directors build skills in a practical, immediately applicable way."

Continuing on this point, Vikram Tah, Managing Director of U21Global for the Middle East, Africa and Pakistan, said, "We build each programme from scratch, drawing on our world-class professors, cutting-edge online learning portal and real-world-focused curricula to deliver a quality educational experience that gives companies tools to help them achieve their business objectives."

The flexible online portion of the class helps participants deepen their understanding of the topic, collaborate with other participants, interact with the teaching faculty and reflect on specific concepts and ideas scheduled for each module. This is complemented by classroom sessions facilitated by U21Global faculty members from different parts of the globe.

The first batch is expected to commence class in January 2009. Participants who successfully complete the programme will receive a Certificate from U21Global cobranded by Acer.

From left - Nick Hutton, CEO, U21Global and Krishna Murthy,
Deputy Managing Director, Acer Computer Middle East