BEIJING, Dec. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ --
China Distance Education Holdings Limited (NYSE: DL) ("CDEL" or the
"Company"), a leading provider of online education in China focusing on professional education,
today announced that it signed six new contracts throughout 2011
relating to its business start-up, or entrepreneurship training
program offering. CDEL's business start-up training program aims to
teach university students, job seekers and individuals how to start
their own businesses using a practical, "learning-by-doing"
approach. The program leverages the concept and training framework
of an international organization called EUROPEN/Pen International,
and allows students to set up their own practice companies and
participate in virtual business dealings with other practice
companies from both inside China
and around the world.
The new contracts signed throughout 2011 include:
- An agreement with the Department of Human Resources and Social
Security of Xining City,
Qinghai Province to provide CDEL's
proprietary business start-up training systems and comprehensive
start-up training services including the development of a business
start-up training platform, system maintenance, technology support,
professional training services and supplementary
products.
- An agreement with the relevant government authority of
Zhenjiang, a city in Jiangsu
Province, to offer business start-up training courses and
teacher training courses. The agreement is aimed at helping
Zhenjiang to improve its business start-up training programs and to
better integrate the programs with the entrepreneurship education
courses offered by regional universities. The scope of the service
agreement includes the establishment of a comprehensive platform
linking together three major business start-up training
organizations: the China Practice Enterprise Network, China
Practice Enterprise Network of Zhenjiang and all China Enterprise
Networks in other relevant provinces. CDEL will help to create a
multi-party forum for the exchange of ideas and development of
training programs amongst these various parties by leveraging its
online platform and training system.
- A three-year exclusive contract with the relevant government
authority in Haikou, the capital
of Hainan Province, to offer
business start-up training courses and teacher training courses.
CDEL will provide its proprietary business start-up training
systems, supplementary products, professional teaching services, as
well as developing and operating a training center in Haikou.
- An agreement with the relevant government authority of
Anhui Province to provide CDEL's
proprietary business start-up training systems and comprehensive
start-up training services including the development of a business
start-up training platform, system maintenance, technology support,
teacher training courses, supplementary products, operations
management and service quality tracking and management. CDEL will
also provide at least two advanced teacher training sessions a
year.
- A two-year contract with the government authority of Yantai, a
city in Shandong Province, to
offer business start-up training courses, teacher training courses,
supplementary products, system maintenance and management services.
CDEL will assist the city in the building of a business start-up
training system and platform.
- An agreement with the government authority of Changshu, a city
in Jiangsu Province, to develop a
business start-up training platform, provide system maintenance and
management and teacher and student training courses. CDEL will also
participate in the promotional and marketing campaign for the
business start-up training courses.
Mr. Zhengdong Zhu, Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of CDEL commented, "We have made
significant progress throughout the year on the expansion of our
business start-up training programs provided through Yucai. The
signing of these six contracts demonstrates the strong underlying
demand among both students and local governments for effective
business start-up training. We believe the growth opportunities for
this business segment will remain healthy given the increasing
competition among job seekers and the strong entrepreneurial spirit
evident throughout China today. We
will continue to work hard to establish new agreements with
additional cities and provinces in the year ahead."
About China Distance Education Holdings Limited
China Distance Education Holdings Limited is a leading provider
of online education in China
focusing on professional education. The courses offered by the
Company through its websites are designed to help professionals and
other course participants obtain and maintain the skills, licenses
and certifications necessary to pursue careers in China in the areas of accounting, law,
healthcare, construction engineering, and other industries. The
Company also offers online test preparation courses to self-taught
learners pursuing higher education diplomas or degrees and to
secondary school and college students preparing for various
academic and entrance exams. In addition, the Company offers online
foreign language courses and offline business start-up training
courses. Further information is available at the investor relations
website at http://ir.cdeledu.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995
This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of federal securities laws. All statements,
other than statements of historical facts, included herein are
"forward-looking statements" including, among other things, the
Company's projected cash balance and its growth prospects. The
expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements involve
significant assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these
expectations may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place
undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak
only as of the date of this press release. The Company's actual
results could differ materially from those anticipated in these
forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, in
addition to those results discussed in the Company's periodic
reports that are filed or furnished with and available from the
Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements
attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are
expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than
as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume
a duty to update these forward-looking statements.
Contacts:
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China Distance Education
Holdings Limited
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Lingling Kong, Investor
Relations Manager
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Tel:
+86-10-8231-9999 x1805
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Email: IR@cdeledu.com
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Investor Relations (Hong
Kong):
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Mahmoud Siddig
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Tel:
+852-3196-3712
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Email: cdel@taylor-rafferty.com
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SOURCE China Distance Education Holdings Limited