Princeton Learning Systems Launches Continuing Education Help Desk Service Providing Value Added Application For Online CE Clients

Business Wire, Feb 2, 1999

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 2, 1999--Princeton Learning Systems (PLS), in a move to provide an unparalleled package of online and offline corporate education services, announced the launch of an Education Help Desk and the opening of a Toronto, Ontario, facility for its client companies. The company also announced the appointment of three new managers to oversee an initial staff of 15 service-oriented professionals located in the new facility.

The Toronto location will be home to the "Education Help Desk," a resource for PLS' roster of 30 client companies and 40,000 individual users of Financial Services University (FSU). FSU is a customizable virtual university distributed via the Internet which allows financial services professionals to remain current and compliant with NASD, State Insurance and other industry and corporate regulations and policies, all on their home or office PC. Clients include Prudential, Mass Mutual, DLJ's Pershing Division, PaineWebber, Nationsbank and Educational Testing Services Chauncey Group International.

"The Education Helpdesk greatly enhances our service offering of providing clients with turn-key, online learning platforms with aggregated course content from several leading publishers", stated Steven Haase, Principal and executive vice president of PLS. "Through the Education Help Desk, we will now be able to offer our client companies a complete library of offline courses. PLS manages the fulfillment and reporting process of all educational activity--regardless of course format."

Client companies will utilize the Help Desk for order processing and fulfillment of offline courses such as seminars, textbooks, video tapes and CD-ROM's. Clients can call the Help Desk to match third party courses and study materials with their particular area of interest. Customers place orders that are fulfilled by PLS' stable of publishing partners including leaders such as Dearborn Financial Publishing, Securities Education Institute, EXAMCO, Knowledge Pointe, & Financial Services Training. Results are then forwarded back to PLS for population of the client database.

Heading up the Toronto office will be Beth Stewart, vice president of services. Formerly with VMI Communication and Learning Systems, Ltd., Stewart has ten years' of client services and operations experience providing distance learning solutions to major companies. A graduate of University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario), Stewart also holds an MBA from University of Windsor (Windsor, Ontario) . A Montreal native, she lives in Toronto with her husband, Russell and daughter, Lucy.

"With the opening of the Toronto location, we are providing a premier training package to our clients," says Stewart. "Our role is to utilize technology to offer a convenient and streamlined process of delivering and documenting online and offline education throughout an enterprise. "

Serving as manager, continuing education services, is Diane Haber. A resident of Toronto, Haber also was employed by VMI Communication and Learning Systems in a variety of positions, including application support team leader and continuing education coordinator. Haber holds a bachelor of commerce degree from University of Guelph (Guelph, Ontario) and a Canadian Securities Certificate.

Helen Potts, senior account manager, has been appointed senior account manager. Potts has held several positions in the training industry over the last nine years, including project manager and project leader for the Royal Bank Personal Learning Network account. A resident of Toronto, Potts has a B.A. degree in economics from Carleton University (Ottawa, Ontario).

About Princeton Learning Systems

Princeton Learning Systems designs, and manages turn-key, technology-based education solutions for corporations. PLS provides its clients with an online learning platform, aggregated online/offline course content, as well as an education help desk resource to assist employees regarding the selection of continuing education courses. Its initial vertical product, the online Financial Services University, provides aggregated access to corporate and compliance training for more than 40,000 corporate users including companies such as Prudential, Mass Mutual, DLJ's Pershing Division and Paine Webber's Correspondent Services Corporation. PLS maintains offices in Princeton, NJ and Toronto, Ontario. Its Web site is www.princetonlearning.com.