Simulations not enough for IT based elearning. Polar Bear ops for Hands-On labs.

Polar Bear Corporate Education Solutions, a leading Canadian provider of technology training courses, will offer IT training utilizing the TrueLab™ system developed by Calgary-based Hatsize Learning Corporation, the leading provider of web-based lab environments for instructor-led learning. “Our TrueLab™ technology offers convenience and flexibility to both IT students and instructors, says Hatsize CEO Guy Hummel. “The TrueLab™ system permits students to learn in real-time from the comfort of their home or office computer through a real lab environment simply by connecting to the Internet.”

Traditional IT training has required that students learn offsite, away from their employer’s premises, at training centers equipped with physical computer labs.

“We look forward to providing an optimum technology training environment utilizing the latest Web-based training tools,” notes Donna Sutton, Director of Strategic Accounts at Polar Bear Corporate Education Solutions. “A key benefit to the Hatsize product is that no special set-up is required to complete the labs,” comments Sutton. “Students simply access courses using their browser. And although the classes are run virtually, students can perform lab work as though they are in a physical classroom environment.”

An added benefit of the TrueLab™ system for students is that they can use it to practice their IT skills on real systems in a risk-free environment, adds Hatsize’s Hummel. “This system is in keeping with the Hatsize mantra of ‘learning by doing’. Our aim is to provide products that help people learn the natural way – by doing.”

The convenience factor for both employers and employees is that TrueLab™ enables students to obtain IT training in a few hours a day at their own premises, if preferred. Sutton explains: “This system allows employers the comfort of having their employees trained in their own corporate offices instead of running the risk of having them unavailable during a busy cycle or time of crisis if they are sent offsite for training. And employers are more open to a course that only takes their staff away from their work for hours a day, as opposed to all day or all week.”

Additional benefits of online training incorporating virtual labs are the instructor’s ability to closely monitor the progress of each student and the ability to more easily assist students who may be having difficulty.

Polar Bear Corporate Education Solutions will offer four week-long online classes incorporating Hatsize’s TrueLab™ technology, including SQL Server Administration, Windows 2000 Professional & Server, Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Upgrading to NetWare 6.

Polar Bear Corporate Education Solutions, a CrossOff company (TSX:OFF), is one of Canada’s largest corporate IT training providers with more than 20 facilities and 100 classrooms coast-to-coast. With more than 20 years of experience in the design and delivery of technology and management training, Polar Bear offers more than 125 vendor-authorized technical education courses from such leading companies as Microsoft, Novell and Lotus. More information is available on the company’s website at www.polarbear.com.

Hatsize Learning Corporation is the leader in next-generation online lab environments for the e-learning industry. A private, Calgary-based company, Hatsize develops products that incorporate the latest training techniques for workable e-learning solutions. For further information, see www.hatsize.com.

For more information, please contact:

Ruth Adams

Media Relations

Email: ruth@techpublicity.com

Phone: 403.208.1967