State University of New York ATTAIN Receives Certiport’s U.S. Testing Center of the Year Award
Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Certiport presented the first U.S. Certiport Authorized Testing Center of the Year Award to the State University of New York's (SUNY) Advanced Technology Training and Information Networking (ATTAIN) operated by the University Center for Academic and Workforce Development (UCAWD). SUNY ATTAIN is designed to promote digital parity in New York's economically challenged communities and has been highly successful in delivering Microsoft® Office Specialist (MOS) and Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) certification to the community.

The ATTAIN lab located at the Educational Opportunity Center at Buffalo was singled out by Certiport as the first U.S. Certiport Authorized Testing Center of the Year.

"SUNY has been very successful in equipping local residents with technology skills through industry recognized certification as part of the ATTAIN project," said Ray Kelly, CEO, Certiport. "Both Certiport and SUNY recognize that technology skills, and specifically Microsoft Office certifications, can level the playing field for individuals competing for quality employment opportunities. These skills are vital in today's distressed work environment, especially in a community like Buffalo where the regional unemployment rate is over nine percent."

ATTAIN is a network of technology laboratories located across New York States' most economically challenged urban and rural communities. In particular, the University of Buffalo Educational Opportunity Center ATTAIN Lab has been a strong force in training and retraining the distressed community, offering tuition-free courses to economically disadvantaged individuals. Since the ATTAIN project began to offer Microsoft certification three years ago, the University of Buffalo Educational Opportunity Center has certified over 275 individuals in MOS and 27 in the new MTA program, leading all ATTAIN labs in certifications in 2010.

Certiport

SUNY ATTAIN

For more information, please contact:
William Chalmers
518-443-5793