Orange Business joins prestigious group approved by Project Management Institute to provide project management training

Orange Business is now approved by Project Management Institute (PMI) ® to become a PMI Registered Education Provider.

PMI Registered Education Providers are educational organizations that have demonstrated that they are capable of providing world-class effective project management training.

Training for Project & Program Management at Orange Business focuses on the global deployment of in-house methodologies, Synergy and Visionary, both based on PMI standards. To date, more than 600 practitioners have achieved certification.

“Orange Business is proud to be an approved PMI Registered Education Provider,” said Karl Heinzelmann, head of Consulting & Solution Integration, Orange Business. “This is a formal recognition of our internal training programs which significantly contribute to our project and program management maturity. For our customers, this translates into best-in-class methodology application, reduced risks and a consistent delivery approach.”

“PMI’s recent survey of training providers shows that 80 percent of organizations seeking suppliers of project management training strongly prefer to work with PMI Registered Education Providers,” said Edwin Andrews, Ph.D., director of academic and educational programs and services at PMI. “They view their affiliation with PMI, as the leading standard-setting professional association for project management, as a stamp of quality on the training services they purchase. Organizations want to protect their investment in project management training, and they know that a PMI Registered Education Provider delivers such training in a cost-effective and efficient manner.”

Currently, there are more than 1,300 Registered Education Providers in 70-plus countries. These organizations include commercial training providers that design complete educational systems, academic institutions and internal training offices at corporations and government agencies.

About Project Management Institute
The world’s leading professional membership organization for project managers, PMI shares knowledge with more than one half million members and credential holders in over 185 countries. Since 1969, PMI has impacted more than one million practitioners, businesses, governments, students and training organizations. Today, PMI’s products and services range from world-class standards for project, program and portfolio management to five professional credentials, including the gold standard Project Management Professional (PMP)®. PMI’s exclusive Global Corporate Council and European Corporate Networking Group engage large multinationals and government organizations in endorsing the value of project management. The only project management association with an established academic research program, PMI has invested more than US$14 million in support of dozens of research projects since 1997. Learn more at PMI.org.

About Orange
Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators. With 131.8 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates. At the end of 2009, France Telecom had consolidated sales of 50.9 billion euros, including its activities in the United Kingdom, and at 31 December 2009, the Group had a customer base of almost 193 million customers in 32 countries. These include 132.6 million mobile customers and 13.5 million broadband Internet (ADSL) customers worldwide. Orange is the number three mobile operator and the number two provider of broadband Internet services in Europe and, under the brand Orange Business, is one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.

The Group's strategy, which is characterized by a strong focus on innovation, convergence and effective cost management, aims to establish Orange as an integrated operator and benchmark for new telecommunications services in Europe. Today the Group remains focused on its core activities as a network operator, while working to develop its position in new growth activities. To meet customer expectations, the Group strives to provide products and services that are simple and user-friendly, while maintaining a sustainable and responsible business model that can be adapted to the requirements of a fast-paced and changing eco-system.

France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A) and on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more information (on the Internet and on your mobile): www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com, www.orange-innovation.tv

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Personal Communications Services Limited, Orange France or France Telecom.

PMI and PMP are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc.