11 January 2002, Singapore

Flying with Confidence

PurpleTrain launched a total of 1071 programmes in the past nine months with an average of 4 to 5 higher education programmes each month.

In August 2001, PurpleTrain.com in an exclusive collaboration with the prestigious and established Salem International University (SIU), a private, independent, liberal arts college based in West Virginia launched four American completion programmes, the FIRST e-learning platform to do so in the region.

"We are the very first in this region to bring you a quality range of online degree programmes from the US," said Ms Sophy Malik, Executive Director of PurpleTrain.com, adding that this exclusive collaboration will not only enable students from around the world to gain global recognition from recognised American university without leaving their home towns but also provide another means of earning a degree totally online.

The successful launch of these American programmes online has since prompted PurpleTrain to launch even more programmes from the US. In September, for instance, it launched another two postgraduate programmes from the University of California Berkeley Extension (UCBE). This is followed by the launching of two Master Degree programmes and a Doctorate Degree programme from Capella University, USA.

“To date, over 52 tertiary programmes were launched. We are focusing on bringing even more quality programmes in the near future to meet market demands,” revealed Rajinder Singh, Assistant Director of PurpleTrain.com.

“It takes an average of 30 days to launch new programmes at PurpleTrain to ensure sufficient time to hit the market and to make sure that all academic and operational issues are addressed before launching of a product’” added Rajinder, who is also in charge of product strategy such as new product development and enhancement of the existing products.

E-learning is making continuing education increasingly convenient and accessible to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Last year alone, PurpleTrain with its strategic e-learning partners launched over 1000 professional development courses from NETg and MindLeaders, offering IT and Business courses ranging from General Technical to Web Development courses, Basic of Business Math series to Time Management to Insurance Development series.

In view of the importance of constant advancement to increase the chances of getting and remaining employed, PurpleTrain further launched its inaugural corporate training packages, the e-Voucher, specially designed for families or staff, to provide a series of professional development courses and training to learners at affordable prices with extreme flexibility and convenience, fully online.

"e-Voucher facilitates individuals and organisations to learn, un-learn and re-learn faster, deeper, and more often. Organisations that learn faster than their competitors have a powerful advantage. And, the challenge is made greater by the need to do it collectively," said Dr Wong Tai, CEO and Chairman of PurpleTrain.com.

Since its launch in May 1999, PurpleTrain has been growing rapidly registering a 3-digit growth yearly and 2-digit growth monthly. To date, its e-community stands at over 42,000 users globally. Its e-learners cover 38 countries spanning Asia, Africa, Europe and the U.S.A..

E-learning eliminates borders and geography barriers. It allows learners to enroll in courses, interact with faculty and fellow students, and receive a quality educational experience while remaining at home. E-learning allows total ownership of personal development at their own pace. Enrollment, advising, financial aid, forms, processes, courses, faculty and other education services come to you. In other words, e-learning is about learners and not educational institutions. It places the learner at the center of the educational experience.

The constant upgrading of the technology used has enabled PurpleTrain to expand its e-community tremendously while maintaining the high standard of student services, high quality of its products range as well as high level of efficiency.

For more information visit us at www.purpletrain.com

About PurpleTrain.com

PurpleTrain.com is the e-learning service provider which offers a one-stop service for business and IT education programmes, corporate training courses and education-related services.

By combining innovative technology with world-class training content, PurpleTrain.com offers companies and individuals a high value, quality and effective online training solution. Over 1000 online courses are available, offering PhDs, masters, degrees, diplomas and certificates in business and IT programmes. Its e-community now stands at over 42,000 users.

PurpleTrain.com is a 100%-owned venture of Informatics Holdings Limited, a leading training and education provider listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange.


For more information, please contact :

Cheryl Lee
Marketing & PR Manager
PurpleTrain.com
Email : pr@purpletrain.com
Website : www.purpletrain.com
                www.informaticsgroup.com


All trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. Certain of the statements in this press release are forward-looking in nature and, accordingly, are subject to risks and uncertainties. The actual results may differ from those described or contemplated.

Copyright © 2002. All Rights Reserved. PurpleTrain.com Pte Ltd.