January 9, 2002

SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY AND BOSTON UNIVERSITY JOIN FORCES TO OFFER INDUSTRY-LEADING PROJECT MANAGEMENT TRAINING IN HOUSTON

Training will accommodate working professionals and offer solutions for companies faced with costly project failures and overruns

Houston, TX and Tewksbury, MA -- TrainingTrack, Boston University’s innovative international training network, today announced it has joined forces with Southern Methodist University’s Advanced Computer Education Centers to offer project management training in the Houston, Texas area.

The TrainingTrack network, which is comprised of regional training companies and academic institutions that distribute and market Boston University’s IT and management development training programs and services, will provide area professionals with both daytime and evening project management training, beginning this month. The partnership between the highly acclaimed universities was announced today at the monthly meeting of the Houston chapter of the Project Management Institute.

The need for skilled project managers continues to intensify. According to a recent study by Standish Group International, of the more than $250 billion spent annually on IT application development, a huge portion is wasted as a result of project management failure. The study also points out that:

• 31 percent of all projects are canceled before completion
• 88% of all projects are over schedule, over budget, or both
• For every 100 projects started, there are 94 restarts
• Average cost overrun is 189% of original estimates
• Average time overrun is 222% of original estimates

“Project failure rates, delays and cost overruns cause problems in all industries, which is why we’re seeing a sharp increase in demand for skilled project managers,” said Tom Bonesteel, director of the Houston Advanced Computer Education Center run by Southern Methodist University’s School of Engineering. “By affiliating with the TrainingTrack network, SMU is now able to offer BU’s renowned project management training, and do it in a way that’s flexible enough to accommodate working professionals.”

Bonesteel added, “This is a turnkey program for us -- we can now provide project management training from A to Z, from a highly recognized university with a national reputation. In addition to BU’s proven curriculum and courseware, TrainingTrack provided us with the tools to get the program up and running immediately. They will also help us recruit and train our trainers, and will even accompany us on sales calls when we visit local Fortune 500 companies that are looking into project management training for their employees,” he said.

“SMU and BU are similar, in many ways,” said Andy Kelley, CEO of TrainingTrack. “Certainly, both universities are familiar with the time, money and development costs associated with creating an entirely new training curriculum. The demand for project management training is growing exponentially.”

Boston University’s Evening Project Management Certificate Program is the most successful evening certificate program of its kind, and is the first project management offering for Southern Methodist University. In addition to helping regional providers cultivate recurring revenue streams and tap lucrative corporate training contracts, TrainingTrack assists its affiliates in overcoming competitive challenges through proven marketing, differentiation and recruiting strategies.

Private classes in Project Management will begin in January, and classes will be offered to the public beginning in March. For more information on the new course offering, call 713-662-9768 or visit the Advanced Computer Education Center Web site at www.engr.smu.edu/soe_acec.html.

About TrainingTrack
TrainingTrack is a new venture from Boston University that provides IT and management development training products and services internationally. Led by a senior management team that was instrumental in making Boston University’s Corporate Education Center New England’s leading IT and project management training provider, TrainingTrack is developing a network of regional training organizations and academic institutions that offer the proven IT and project management curricula from Boston University. In addition to award-winning programs, affiliates gain access to marketing, recruitment and career changer support services developed at Boston University. TrainingTrack affiliates can act as resellers of Boston University-delivered programs under their own brand or they may choose to deliver training using “Boston University Official Curriculum” courseware, and TrainingTrack’s program and marketing support. Affiliates will also have the opportunity to distribute their own in-demand, quality programs through the TrainingTrack network. TrainingTrack is on the Web at www.trainingtrack.com and can be contacted at 978-863-0110.

About Southern Methodist University’s Advanced Computer Education Centers
The Advanced Computer Education Centers run by Southern Methodist University’s School of Engineering provide high quality, personalized training to current and aspiring information technology professionals. Existing courses in database management, computer programming and network administration can lead to certification from vendors such as Microsoft, Unix, Oracle and Cisco. Centers are located in Houston, Plano, Richardson and San Antonio, Texas. For more information on the centers, visit their Web site at www.engr.smu.edu/soe_acec.html.