Singapore, 14 November 2002

Happy graduates have their say!

Congratulations to all of our PurpleTrain graduates on their recent achievements! It was a graduation ceremony filled with full of happy graduates, among them PurpleTrain graduates, who did it the e-Learning way! The event, held on 10 November 2002 at Kallang Theatre was indeed a momentous occasion for parents and siblings of the graduates who attended the ceremony.

PurpleTrain took the opportunity to interview several of our successful students what they thought of e-Learning.

Here is an excerpt from our First Class Honours UOP graduate Mr Munnamgi Venkatan Reddy's speech at the graduation ceremony:

When I took up the course with PurpleTrain.com, e-learning was a new experience in my life. Initially, I felt strange studying in front of the computer and contacting fellow students and lecturers online seeing only my classmates during examination time. But E-learning is a different world that I wanted to experience and I am glad to be standing in front of all of you to share how e-learning is an exciting and rewarding way to achieve an education.

PurpleTrain.com learning management system has many interactive capabilities of the web which gave me and my fellow classmates the chance to question the lecturer, exchange ideas with one another and even work together as teams. While there was no face-to-face contact, the learning platform via the Internet provided rich opportunities for scheduled discussions and dialogues.

I remembered thinking to myself, "What a dynamic way of studying without the inconvenience of travel time, caught in the train and traffic jams, late for class and missing the tutorials or fear of asking wrong questions in front of the whole class. Plus you know what, my personal lifestyle was not in anyway inconvenience while I pursue my academic achievements. A few times, I studied while taking a short holiday overseas with just my laptop and an Internet connection".

I have said enough of my e-learning experience and I would like to leave you with this thought If ever some day, someone, comes to you and say "I want to study anywhere anytime, anyplace" I hope your answer will be the PurpleTrain.com".

When asked to give his views, another University of Portsmouth (UOP) graduate Mr Isa Raffee, Lead Engineer with Sun Microsystems: "What I liked most about e-Learning is the convenience! I also found the PurpleTrain chat sessions and discussion rooms useful in helping me in the course. I found that in e-Learning, time management and lots of discipline is crucial for success." When asked how e-Learning has affected his lifestyle, Isa commented that "I'm proud to have experienced e-Learning!"

Having similar needs in flexibility and convenience was what made Mr Soh Hoo Seng, a Project Manager with Keppel Engineering choose e-Learning through PurpleTrain. "I enjoyed the help I obtained from online facilitators as they provided me with all the necessary guidance. I also found that the chat sessions and discussion rooms useful as it serves to reinforce one's progress in the course." When asked if they wanted to take his education one step further after getting his UOP degree, he commented that he intended to do his Masters degree in the near future.

Another UOP graduate, Ms Tam Kong Chee, a programmer based in Kuala Lumpur, also was impressed by the flexibility offered by getting her degree through e-Learning. Asked about her experience on e-Learning, Ms Tam said "I had a good experience throughout this course and intend to pursue further studies to learn more as part of my career goals." In addition, she was asked if she would recommend her friends, family, colleagues or neighbours to take up e-Learning courses, she replied "Yes, and I have already done so!"

Ms Wong Fang Fang, fellow UOP graduate and Senior Software Technician, who works split shifts had this to say about e-Learning: "I felt it was really an exciting mode of study, it saves time coupled with the convenience - no need to take transport /travel to school after work." She was asked what she liked most about e-learning? Her answer: "the accessibility of simply logging in to get to school and the notes are always on-line, no need to queue to photocopy notes." The course held a big surprise for Miss Wong: "I was surprised that during the course, some students were very dedicated, participated and shared their knowledge, their working experience helped to liven up the class & learning experience."

As we have many other graduates with insightful comments, we will continue publishing their comments in another news release to follow. Once again, we congratulate all PurpleTrain graduates for their hard work and perseverance and being trailblazers in their own right.

About Informatics Group

The Informatics Group, established in 1983, is a multinational corporation providing training and educational services in information technology and business management. Through its international franchising program and strategic acquisitions, Informatics presently has a global network of more than 548 centres spanning 44 countries.

The company presently offers five franchise products: Informatics Computer School, Thames Business School, CAL Computer Training Centre, Cambridge Child Development Centre and RACC. For more information, please visit http://www.informaticsgroup.com.

About PurpleTrain.com

PurpleTrain.com is the e-learning service provider which offers a one-stop service for business and IT education programs, 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 on-line training solution. Over 1000 online courses are available, offering masters, degrees, diplomas and certificates in business and IT programs. Our online learning community now stands at over 67,000 users.

PurpleTrain.com is a 100%-owned venture of Informatics Holdings Limited, a leading training and education provider listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange. Informatics Holdings Limited is the only IT-based education provider in Singapore that made the ranking among Forbes Global's 200 Best Small Companies in the world.

For more information, please contact :

Andrew Yap
Communications & PR Manager
PurpleTrain.com
Email : pr@purpletrain.com
Website : www.purpletrain.com
                www.informaticsgroup.com

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