Source: Sage

Free Education Program From Sage Prepares Canadian Students for Accounting and Business Careers

Sage Educational Partner Program Provides Students Free Training on Sage Accpac ERP 5.5 and Simply Accounting by Sage Premium 2009

RICHMOND, BC--(Marketwire - February 24, 2009) - Sage North America has expanded its Sage Educational Partner Program (SEPP) for Canadian schools with the availability of free copies of Sage Accpac ERP (enterprise resource planning) - Student Version to students participating in the training program. Sage has partnered with Canadian schools for many years to offer students classroom training on the most current versions of Canada's most recommended accounting software: Sage Accpac ERP (enterprise resource planning) - Student Version and Simply Accounting by Sage Premium 2009 - Student Version, and provided students with free copies of Simply Accounting for at-home study. This is the first year that Sage Accpac ERP - Student Version will be available for free to participating students for continued study.

"In the current economy, it's imperative that students considering careers as accountants or bookkeepers or becoming entrepreneurs get a competitive edge with exposure to the business applications that are being used by Canadian businesses everyday," said Jennifer Warawa, director, Sage Accountants Network and Educational Programs for Canada. "Today, over 3,400 schools across Canada participate as Sage Educational Partners, enabling more than 300,000 students to get real-world training in accounting and business through their schools for free, using Sage Accpac ERP and Simply Accounting by Sage. With this program, Sage is helping to equip students with the practical skills and product training that they can then use to apply for their first jobs or start their own businesses."

Sage Accpac ERP and Simply Accounting by Sage are leading business management solutions used daily by hundreds of thousands of Canadian companies. Simply Accounting by Sage is the #1 recommended accounting software in Canada.(1)

The Sage Educational Partner Program is available to high schools and post-secondary educational institutions throughout Canada. Students of member schools can download free versions of the small business accounting product Simply Accounting by Sage Premium - Student Version and request a free copy of the mid-market accounting solution Sage Accpac 5.5 - Student Version for home study. Schools interested in joining the Sage Educational Partner Program in Canada can contact the Sage Education Department at 800-256-8807.

About Sage North America

Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. At Sage, we live and breathe business every day. We are passionate about helping our customers achieve their ambitions. Our range of business software and services is continually evolving as we innovate to answer our customers' needs. Our solutions support accounting, operations, customer relationship management, human resources, time tracking, merchant services and the specialized needs of the construction, distribution, healthcare, manufacturing, nonprofit and real estate industries. Sage North America employs approximately 4,800 people and supports nearly 2.9 million small and medium-size business customers. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989, employs more than 14,500 people and supports more than 5.8 million customers worldwide. For more information, please visit the web site at www.sagenorthamerica.com or call 866-308-2378.

© 2009 Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage, the Sage logo and the Sage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc. or its affiliated entities.

(1) Based on an independent survey of 296 accounting software decision makers of Canadian businesses conducted in June 2008 and an independent survey of 331 accountants who work with small business clients conducted in Canada in May 2008.

Contact Information: Contacts: Marchell Gillis 770-724-4256 marchell.Gillis@sage.com Mark Priscaro 925-931-0980 mark.priscaro@sage.com