SAN RAFAEL, Calif. and BEIJING, Jun 26, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

CEO Carol Bartz Visits Beijing and Shanghai, Announces AutoCAD Certification Program to Support New Generation of Engineers and Designers

Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADSK), the world's leading design and digital content creation company, today announced it is partnering with China's Association for Educational Technology (CAET), an organization under the Ministry of Education, to offer a university certification program that will help advance the education of China's next generation of engineers and designers. Autodesk CEO Carol Bartz announced the creation of the certification program and the company's donation of 10,000 copies each of the Autodesk Inventor Series and Autodesk Architectural Desktop software to Chinese secondary schools and universities at a signing ceremony and press conference today in Beijing.

"China's entry into the World Trade Organization has created a new reality for all of us, and talent is becoming the focal point of competition," said Bartz. "Autodesk is pleased to play a role in China's strategic efforts by equipping its new generation with the latest design technologies to support the explosive growth in China's manufacturing and technology sectors."

The certification program will issue a "Certificate of Digital Design Ability" to secondary and university students who are trained on Autodesk's most popular design software, AutoCAD. As demand for standardized software services continues to rise, certification will become essential to helping engineers, programmers, and designers increase their competitiveness and meet international standards.

The program initially targets 1,000 colleges and 5,000 secondary schools, with a special focus on computer science programs. It is aimed to be a critical element in building a world-class pool of talent in engineering design.

"Encouraging engineering science students to master digitalized technical application skills will propel China to the forefront of cutting-edge technology. It will not only increase the global competitiveness of China's labor force, but it will also help ensure that China's engineers keep up with the demand of burgeoning local manufacturing and industrial design sectors," said Mrs. Yu Yunxiu, chairman of CAET.

In conjunction with the program rollout, Autodesk will donate 10,000 licenses of both the Autodesk Inventor Series and Autodesk Architectural Desktop software to CAET and participating universities and schools. The market value of this donation is $51 million.

    Autodesk's Long-Standing Commitment to China

Since entering China in 1994, Autodesk has launched a series of cooperative measures with the Chinese Ministry of Education, including in a joint software and equipment donation with Hewlett-Packard to 100 universities and colleges in 1997. Professional training has been classified as one of the six priorities of the Chinese government in implementing its information program, and the Ministry of Education has required universities and colleges with technology programs to implement a double diploma system to evaluate both academic and vocational skills.

    About Autodesk

Founded in 1982, Autodesk, Inc., is the world's leading design and digital media creation, management, and distribution company. The company serves a diverse portfolio of markets, including building design, geographic information systems, manufacturing, digital media, and wireless data services. By delivering tools that foster innovation and creativity, Autodesk helps customers throughout the value chain leverage digital design data to work better, faster, and smarter. For more information about the company, see www.autodesk.com.

    About CAET

The China Association for Educational Technology is a non-profit organization under the Ministry of Education, dedicated to promoting the use of technology in education, including the use of computers, audio-visual and multi-media aids.

Autodesk and AutoCAD are registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

CONTACT:          Autodesk
                  Dawn Holstein, 415/507-6554
                  dawn.holstein@autodesk.com

URL:              http://www.businesswire.com
Today's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internet
with Hyperlinks to your home page.

Copyright (C) 2002 Business Wire.  All rights reserved.