Lenovo and HCT partner to enhance educational process and students' life on campus

Dubai, UAE, 19 October 2010 - Lenovo Middle East, Egypt and Pakistan (MEEP) announced today a new agreement with the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) in the UAE to provide its students with over 7000 ThinkPad laptops. This new initiative is part of Lenovo's ongoing commitment to support education in the region to empower students with the latest technologies.

"Technology plays an important role in enhancing education" said Jack Lee, VP and GM Lenovo Middle East and Africa "We believe it is essential to empower students with the right tools to enable them achieve academic success and develop the needed skills and capabilities that will allow them to function in the world with efficiency."

HCT chose to provide its students with ThinkPad products that have built a solid reputation through the past years for their reliability, robustness and mobility.

Lenovo agreed to provide HCT students with the ThinkPad T410 and ThinkPad X201 Tablet machines, which are custom built to support the students' curriculum. 

"At HCT our priority is to ensure our students get the best education. Providing the students with these laptops will support them with the best IT technology; provide them with the technical skills to operate in an increasingly complex technological world and assist them to effectively contribute to the nation-building process," HCT Vice Chancellor Dr. Tayeb Kamali said.

"In addition to Lenovo's reputation of creating well built machines, one of the main reasons we have partnered with the company is its commitment to improving the education process in the region by providing the latest and best custom made technologies for students that enable them to develop the essential skills needed for the workplace."

The ThinkPad T410 is designed in a way to ensure durability yet look stylish and trendy to suit different age groups. The spill-resistant keyboard, ThinkVantage® Client Security Solution with integrated Fingerprint Reader and Smartcard support are other innovative features that give this notebook unmatched durability and security.

The ThinkPad X201T is a Tablet PC and a laptop all in one. Lenovo optimized the X201T for a smart computing experience without compromising on size, weight, performance or cooling. It provides flexible, hassle-free computing on the go, multiple connectivity options and extra-long battery life which lets the students work all day unplugged.

"Lenovo ThinkPad products provide efficiency, reliability and performance which add value to the students' academic life." said Ali Al-Amine, General Manger Lenovo Middle East, Egypt and Pakistan. "We are very proud to partner with a distinguished educational institution and support the high educational standards at HCT. This initiative will provide easier access to technology for students and it will give them all the tools they need to be successful."

Lenovo's authorized partner Jumbo Electronics will facilitate the initiative with HCT by supplying the products as well as have onsite facilities on campus that act like service centers to the students and provide onsite engineers to help solve any technical issues that might be faced.

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About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building exceptionally engineered personal computers. Lenovo's business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group's acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com

About HCT
Founded in 1988 with four colleges, The Higher Colleges of Technology has grown to be the largest of the higher educational institutions in the UAE, gaining a well-respected reputation for innovative learning.

More than 18,000 students attend 17 modern men's and women's campuses in the cities of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Fujairah and the western region of Madinat Zayed and Ruwais.

HCT offers more than 90 different, English-taught programs in Applied Communications, Business, Engineering, Information Technology, Health Sciences and Education.  These programs are offered at the Diploma, Advanced and Higher Diplomas, Bachelor and Master levels, which are, all relevant to the UAE's fast growing and evolving economic sectors.  All programs are designed in consultation with business and industry leaders to ensure that the skills students learn are job-relevant and to high standards. They are constantly monitored to ensure they are at the cutting edge of industry standards and technological change.

All students learn in a technologically sophisticated educational environment that encourages development of the independent and life-long learning skills necessary to success in a fast changing world. 

HCT graduates have developed a reputation throughout the UAE for their technical and communications skills and for their adaptability to actual workplace conditions. Because of this, HCT graduates are eagerly sought by organizations looking to build their workforce with young Emiratis who are capable of operating effectively in today's global business environment. The Higher Colleges of Technology have awarded over 48,000 academic credentials to its graduates. These graduates have gone into the UAE employment market, making a significant impact on sustainable economic and social development of the country.

Combined with the fundamental principle of educating the UAE's future leaders in business, technologies, industry and the community is a desire to make the region a nexus point for innovative and cutting edge ideas and in-practice applications. 

Since its inception, HCT has focused on meeting the needs of the local economy and community while at the same time meeting international benchmarks and accreditation standards.  In this process, HCT has established active and dynamic links, collaborations and relationships with all major companies and organizations in the UAE and with many of the world's leading universities and organizations, such as the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, University of Waterloo, Oxford, Cambridge, MIT, Harvard, Stanford, University College London, IBM, Boeing, Siemens, TERI, University of Melbourne and the Asia Pacific University-Japan. 

© Press Release 2010