Laragh named as Books24X7 reseller

Laragh Skills, a distributor of SkillSoft e-Learning content, who are owned by Laragh Courseware, a developer of e-learning content, today announced that it has been appointed as a reseller for Books24X7, a subsidiary of SkillSoft PLC and the developer of online referenceware for IT and business professionals. The agreement gives Laragh Skills the ability to sell Books24x7`s ITPro, BusinessPro, and OfficeEssentials libraries to customers throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Books24x7`s referenceware libraries include unabridged content from more than 3,000 IT and business books and reports, with 20 to 40 new titles added each week. Books24x7`s unique patent-pending search engine gives users the ability to perform online, multi-tier searches of specific books, as well as the entire collection. Books24x7 has relationships with more than 85 leading publishers, including Microsoft Press, Harvard Business School Publishing, McGraw-Hill, Sybex, Oxford University Press, AMACOM, and John Wiley and Sons.

Laragh Courseware, based in Cape Town, has been a developer of computer-based training since 1996. The company has produced more than 350 CBT courses, covering a wide variety of IT and organizational topics such as Linux fundamentals, quality assurance, quality management systems, office administration, and effective presentations. Their subsidiary, Laragh Skills is currently authorized to resell SkillSoft business skills and IT e-learning courseware, a library of more than 4,500 titles. The Books24x7 agreement now gives Laragh Skills the ability to offer clients online access to Books24x7`s extensive and continually growing collections.

"Books24x7 is an invaluable resource to businesses and educational institutions alike," said Moira de Roche, general manager of Laragh Skills. "Subscribing to Books24X7 is like buying an entire bookstore that`s open 24 hours a day and is continually restocked with the most current editions available. And because of Books24x7`s powerful search capabilities, users can find in seconds the exact book - as well as the specific page - that has the information they need. We see Books24x7 as being a valuable complement to our clients` other e-learning initiatives."

"We`re thrilled to partner with Laragh," said John Ambrose, general manager of Books24x7. "We`re confident our Referenceware offerings will be a strong complement to the e-learning solutions currently offered by Laragh. Just-in-time learning and reference has proven to immediately impact productivity and save organizations significant time and money."

"Laragh has a strong track record of quality development work and e-learning implementation," said Kevin Young, vice president and managing director of SkillSoft EMEA. "Laragh has a long-standing relationship with our company. This new agreement adds even greater dimension to our partnership."