Vocational Education in the Netherlands adopts LPI Certification

(Sacramento, CA, USA: February 25, 2010) The Linux Professional Institute (LPI), the world's premier Linux certification organization (http://www.lpi.org), announced that its partner organization LPI-Netherlands (http://www.lpi-nederland.nl/) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ECABO (http://www.ecabo.nl/international), Netherlands's Center of Expertise on Vocational Education, Training and Labor Market to include LPI certifications in their curriculum. ECABO works for the entire range of vocational training in the Netherlands representing lower and senior secondary vocational education and higher vocational education. For example ECABO supports nearly 90,000 students in the senior secondary vocational education sector alone.

Under this agreement ECABO will include LPI certification within its blueprint for ICT vocational training within the senior secondary education market. In offering students the opportunity of obtaining LPI certifications while pursuing their chosen field of vocational training ECABO is certain future graduates may significantly enhance their position in the labor market.

"We see an annual growth rate of Linux deployments in companies and with governments of 8-10 percent", said Emiel Brok, chairman of LPI-Netherlands. "However, further growth may be reduced due to a shortage in well-trained and properly certified Linux professionals. This initiative on the part of ECABO should ensure that the growing popularity and adoption of Linux and Open Source Software continues in the Netherlands," added Brok. LPI-Netherlands will work with ECABO and other organizations in the future to inform human resources departments and other employment agencies on the value of hiring LPI-certified staff. LPI-Netherlands will also extend LPI-Approved Academic Partner (LPI-AAP) status to senior secondary training organizations which participate in this new program.

"This agreement indicates the growing acceptance of LPI certification and Linux professionalism within the academic sector. Educational institutions understand the value of offering their students real world skills that assure them high quality employment opportunities. LPI's status as a global standard in Linux certification and the transparency of our certification objectives and exam development processes make us an ideal choice for academic organizations. LPI is committed to assisting these institutions which must be accountable to their students, industry and the communities they serve," said Jim Lacey, president and CEO of LPI.

Further information on the initiative between ECABO and LPI-Netherlands at the ECABO website: http://www.ecabo.nl/over_ecabo/actueel/nieuwsartikel/205

The Linux Professional Institute is globally supported by the IT industry, enterprise customers, community professionals, government entities and the educational community. LPI's certification program is supported by an affiliate network spanning five continents and is distributed worldwide in multiple languages in more than 7,000 testing locations. Since 1999, LPI has delivered over 230,000 exams and 75,000 LPIC certifications around the world.

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About the Linux Professional Institute:

The Linux Professional Institute promotes and certifies essential skills on Linux and Open Source technologies through the global delivery of comprehensive, top-quality, vendor-independent exams. Established as an international non-profit organization in September 1999 by the Linux community, the Linux Professional Institute continues to demonstrate recognized global leadership in the certification of Linux professionals. LPI advances the Linux and Open Source movement through strategic partners, sponsorships, innovative programs and community development activities. LPI's major financial sponsors are Platinum Sponsors IBM, Linux Journal, Linux Magazine, Novell, SGI, and TurboLinux as well as Gold Sponsors, HP and IDG.

About ECABO:

ECABO (http://www.ecabo.nl/international) is Netherlands's Center of Expertise on Vocational Education, Training and Labor and works on connecting vocational education with the labor market. It achieves this by offering services and products in the fields of practical learning, competency-based vocational education and designing exams for lower, senior secondary and higher vocational education, as well as for private institutions.

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