The EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, Africa) is intensively absorbing Linux open source technologies. This is evidenced not only by data on the scale of commercial package distribution and downloads from Linux websites, but also by statistics regarding the number of training courses in Linux technologies in the EMEA area.
Among the individual countries in the EMEA region, Poland is a leader, where interest in authorized SUSE LINUX training is growing by over 100 percent each year. In terms of the number of training centers conducting exams for Novell Certified Linux Engineer (Novell CLE) and Novell Certified Linux Professional (Novell CLP), Poland is second in Europe only to Germany.
As statistics from Novell’s recently concluded fiscal year show, the most funds for training and education in Linux technologies are spent in the UK and Ireland, Germany, and the Netherlands; the Swedes, French, Swiss, and Belgians also spend a significant amount on this purpose. In terms of the growth rate of interest in Linux training, the highest dynamics are shown by: South Africa (301 percent annual growth), Italy (159 percent), Israel (129 percent), and Poland (101 percent). The rest of Europe is not far behind the leaders, with an average annual growth rate of interest in these training courses at the level of 70 percent. Poland is also at the forefront in terms of developing a network of educational centers conducting certified Linux training and practical exams on knowledge of Linux solutions (the so-called Novell Practicum). These services are currently offered by six such centers, run by companies from the top tier of the IT education industry:
- Altkom Akademia,
- Centrum Technik Sieciowych,
- Computer Service Support,
- Compendium,
- ComputerLand,
- Unizeto.
The above list will soon be supplemented by the ABC Data CE training center, which is currently in the authorization process phase.