Originally Published 20 March 2001

Michael Wills MP Minister for Learning and Technology will visit the University of Warwick on Tuesday 20th March 2001 to address the biggest ever conference of teachers trained in Computer Aided Design and Manufacture, where he will announce the extension of a dramatically successful manufacturing software for schools scheme to every English secondary school. The event will take place in the University's International Manufacturing Centre. He will say:

"I am delighted to attend this first ever National CAD/CAM in schools conference, in fact it is probably one of the first ever held anywhere in the world. I am immensely proud of because it shows our schools leading the world in the application of new technology in this vital and exciting field."

The scheme, which provides schools with free Pro/DESKTOP CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design and Manufacture) software and teachers with training in that software, is a government backed partnership between the University of Warwick's Warwick Manufacturing Group, PTC (Parametric Technology Corporation) and DATA ( the Design and Technology Association).

The programme has vastly exceeded its initial target to donate software and to train teachers in its use in 250 schools within a year. Within the first year the scheme trained a 1,000 teachers and now, 21 months after the scheme's launch, 3,400 teachers are registered in the scheme - more than 60 percent of all secondary schools now have the Pro/DESKTOP software with a trained teacher.

The minister will announce that he is setting new targets to make the Pro/DESKTOP software available in every school in England. He will also announce further linked initiatives.

For further information contact:

Nick Matthews , Warwick Manufacturing Group
Tel: 024 76 5272506 office 0777 5534352



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Further information about the above press release and all other media services at the University of Warwick can be obtained from:

Peter Dunn, Press Officer
Public Affairs Office
Senate House
University of Warwick
Coventry, CV4 7AL
West Midlands
Tel: 024 76 523708
Email: puapjd@admin.warwick.ac.uk