Electric Paper Takes Lead in Arabic E-Learning Market.

Business Editors

DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 17, 2003

Electric Paper, part of ThirdForce plc, announces today, Thursday 17th July 2003, that it has just begun roll-out of a localised version of its flagship AutoTest product throughout the Arab region. AutoTest provides automated testing and certification for the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) qualification.

This exciting development positions the company as a key strategic player in a region of more than 150 million people where there is growing recognition of the economic imperative of IT literacy. Some governments are already adopting the ICDL as the ICT standard in the education and the public sectors. The Kuwaiti and Jordanian governments, for example, have both made the ICDL a mandatory requirement for all teachers over the next three years.

Since being appointed sole ICDL test provider last year, Electric Paper has built up a network of strategic partners to assist with product development, marketing and technical support. The rollout follows a comprehensive pilot in 65 sites in the region and Electric Paper is now planning to extend deployment to all test centres in the region.

"Releasing a fully localised Arabic-language version of AutoTest prior to the start of the academic year was a high priority to satisfy the strong interest in an automated testing solution for ICDL," said Jonny Parkes, Managing Director of Electric Paper. "The acceleration of delivery was made possible by our partners the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime and in particular, UNESCO Cairo Office (UCO) who played a tremendous role in product development as well as in the coordination of extensive customer testing."

"With the launch of the Arabic version underway, the company will continue to work with UNESCO and its Local Business Promoters to market the ICDL concept in the region. We are looking at the potential for more contracts to service government adoption of the programme in different parts of the region. We are also looking at the potential for courseware sales," continued Parkes.

According to ThirdForce plc Chief Executive, Brendan O'Sullivan, "We are already a dominant player in ECDL/ICDL automated testing in Ireland, UK and Australia. The move into the Arab region is consistent with our strategy of developing ThirdForce into a leading global e-learning player. We are identifying further significant opportunities for ThirdForce in emerging markets resulting from Governments' appreciation that an IT literate workforce leads to increased prosperity."

Electric Paper currently has pilots in 4 countries - Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and the UAE. There are currently 65 centres using the test. There are plans to roll out the programme to 17 countries.

Note for Editors:

About ThirdForce plc

ThirdForce plc is listed on both the Developing Companies Market (DCM) in Dublin and Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in London, with a current market capitalisation of approx EUR26 million. It is building a global business as a provider of e-learning products to the wider population. The company aims to achieve its goal through a combination of acquisitions and organic growth. The acquisition of Electric Paper, completed in First Quarter 2003, is the first step in this process.

Electric Paper specialises in the development of e-learning courses that assess, train and test IT literacy. The company's interactive courseware is accredited to the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL), International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) and Computer Literacy and Information Technology (CLAIT) standards. It also creates products to support e-learning programmes.

www.thirdforceplc.com

About the ICDL

The International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) is the international version of the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL). The objective of this programme is to raise the level of core knowledge about Information Technology (IT) and computer skills competency on a global basis and provide an internationally recognised certification.

Available in 100 countries, the programme has over 3 million candidates. It is administered on a global basis by the ECDL Foundation (ECDL-F). The Foundation is a not-for-profit organization whose role is to promote, develop and certify computer skills and IT knowledge. This is achieved through the establishment of ECDL/ICDL Licensees in each country who administer the programme locally based on a strict set of ECDL-F standards and quality guidelines. More information is available at: www.ecdl.com

UNESCO Cairo Office (UCO), is the regional office for Science and Technology in the Arab states. UCO is responsible for administering the ICDL in the 17 Arab countries.