PTC TRAINS TEACHERS TO TAKE STUDENTS TO UNPRECEDENTED LEVELS OF TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY

PTC's "Design & Technology in Schools Program" Provides Free Training, Support and Software for Thousands of Educators

NEEDHAM, Mass., Oct. 17, 2002 -- For many students, the current school year will highlight an increased focus on technological literacy, thanks to PTC� (Nasdaq: PMTC), the product development company.

Through the PTC "Design & Technology in Schools Program," middle and high school students in more than 5,000 secondary schools worldwide use Pro/DESKTOP�, PTC's 3D design software, to master the use of technology and prepare for careers in design, technology and engineering.

The program grants free seats of easy-to-use Pro/DESKTOP software to middle and high schools, as well as affordable teacher-led training and support, classroom materials and opportunities to collaborate with other schools around the world.

"PTC is concerned about the poor understanding of technology when reliance on it continues to increase," said John Stuart, senior vice president of education and community services at PTC. "To address this issue, in September 1999, we donated Pro/DESKTOP to the entire United Kingdom public school system, where Design and Technology is a core subject in the national curriculum. We were so impressed with the results there that we expanded the program to the United States and then worldwide."

In the United Kingdom, more than 5,000 teachers at more than 4,000 schools have been trained to teach design and technology using Pro/DESKTOP. Today, 74 percent of schools in England and Wales teach with Pro/DESKTOP. In the United States, more than 1,000 teachers have been trained in just two years.

In addition to the program's strong presence in the United States and United Kingdom, the program has gain traction in Asia-Pacific. More than 100 teachers have been trained in Hong Kong, and more than 300 teachers have been trained in Australia and New Zealand. Continuing to expand the program internationally, PTC is focusing its efforts on Germany, Japan and China.

In addition to developing the technological literacy skills, a prerequisite for future success in today's increasingly technology-driven society, teachers report that students who learn 3D design often improve their performance on a wide variety of standardized assessment tests.

Engineered for Success in the U. S. In the United States, the program has gained significant momentum with the following activities: � During the summer and early fall, PTC hosted 16 free interactive two-day training sessions at 13 locations in seven states: California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas, Michigan and Massachusetts. � Through the Massachusetts Department of Education, PTC sponsored a five-day graduate credit program to help teachers better understand the design process. At the end of the five-day summer session, teachers left with a collection of standards-based activities, to be presented, evaluated, and assessed in the classroom and a copy of PTC's Pro/DESKTOP software.

PTC hosted the "Designing Our Future" technology education conference for teachers to learn and discuss best practices for bringing technology into the classroom. Teachers from 14 states attended. � PTC and the University of Massachusetts Lowell hosted a one-week design camp, The PTC Design Academy, where English as a Second Language middle schoolers used PTC's 3D design software to design products while using a variety of techniques to manufacture the products.

In October 2002, the Minnesota Technology Education Association (MTEA) gave PTC its Professional of the Year award, in recognition of the company's efforts to champion technology education in Minnesota. Bob Koppes, award chair of the MTEA said, "The generosity of the PTC Partnership for Innovative Learning program and the quality of its software for classroom education are a winning combination for students and teachers." The Partnership for Innovative Learning is the educational component of PTC's Product First initiative, which provides product-focused companies with solutions critical to the product development process. The partnership provides middle schools, high schools and engineering colleges with PTC's Pro/DESKTOP� and Pro/ENGINEER� design software, affordable teacher training, instructional materials and other key resources. 

About PTC and the Partnership for Innovative Learning 

PTC (Nasdaq: PMTC) develops, markets and supports software solutions that help manufacturers get superior products to market before their competitors. PTC is the world's largest software company with a total commitment to product development. The company services more than 33,000 customers worldwide. 

www.ptc.com

 

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