"Novell is committed to promoting Linux at the high school and college levels," said Dan Veitkus, vice president, Novell Training Services, as Novell yesterday launched a new introductory Linux training course designed for academic environments, "Getting Started with Linux: Novell's Guide to CompTIA's Linux+" that gives educational institutions what he hopes will be a powerful new tool to promote open source training and providing students a new option for learning Linux.

The course covers the objectives outlined by CompTIA for its Linux+ exam and certification, an international industry credential that offers proof of knowledge in key Linux areas, from networking configuration to directories to the Linux desktop and more. With analyst forecasts of Linux growth topping 25 percent annually, Linux expertise is rapidly becoming the critical foundation for information technology workers. The new course's combination of expertise from a leading Linux vendor and focus on a vendor-neutral examination will provide a solid launching pad for interested students, Novell hopes.

"Interest in Linux is exploding among our IT students, and Linux is becoming the de facto standard on which students train today," said Erik van Renselaar, IT Department Chair at New England Institute of Technology. "Novell's new course is a great addition to the curriculum, since it helps students not only learn the basics of Linux, but also pass a critical CompTIA exam that really strengthens their resume. Novell's contribution of software is also a great boost for schools who face constant budget challenges when trying to introduce new technologies."

"CompTIA is a leader in globally-recognized vendor-neutral certification programs," said Neill Hopkins, vice president of skills development for CompTIA. "The fact that Novell has developed training that maps to a CompTIA exam, rather than their own flavor of Linux, is a strong testament to Novell's commitment to the open source movement. This is a great opportunity for students to learn Linux from one of the leaders in the field."