BEIJING, March 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Ambow Education Group (NYSE: AMBO) has received initial approval for its plan to set up a service outsourcing career enhancement base together with Microsoft in Dandong, a city in the north-eastern province of Liaoning.

Targeted to begin operation later this year, the base will leverage the facilities of the reputable Eastern Liaoning University in its early stage of development. It is planning to train a total of 10,000 Microsoft-accredited service outsourcing personnel in the first four years.

The base will be a platform for an integrated solution to Dandong's growing demand for software outsourcing personnel, offering a comprehensive training program adapted from the well-established Microsoft academy's curriculum, teaching materials, education training modules, and accreditations. In addition, there will be services such as job placement for students, recruitment for companies, and further career advancement opportunities for individuals.

Dandong, a sister city of Dalian, is committed to upgrading its service industry but lacks the qualified talent to drive the transformation. The integrated solution offered by Ambow and Microsoft is well timed to address this talent shortage, and will help take Dandong's service industry capabilities to a new level.

The Dandong venture is the latest collaboration between Ambow and Microsoft. Last October, Ambow was designated as the sole partner of its MASP (Microsoft Academy Service Partner) in China, just the 25th member of the partnership globally.

In addition, a plan has been undertaken to set up an Ambow (Dalian) Microsoft Cloud Computing Service Center, and to introduce Microsoft's cloud computing technologies in the training program, as well as in the daily operation of the Dalian Career Enhancement Center.

The service outsourcing base in Dandong also highlights Ambow's strong track record of commitment to the career enhancement services market, further strengthening Ambow's presence in the country as China's largest career enhancement service provider.

According to a research report by IDC, the IT career enhancement market was over RMB 1.73 billion in 2009, and Ambow ranked number one in the market with a market share of over 15%.

Other recent milestones include the launch of Ambow's Career Competence Enhancement Program (CCEP) in colleges and universities in each province and city nationwide. Working with the Ministry of Education on the program, CCEP is a college credit course and an advanced career enhancement curriculum focusing on soft skills training, including modules on such vital career skills as innovation, time management, effective communication, and workplace etiquette.