UBM Electronics' Design News Partners with Digi-Key to Create the Digi-Key Continuing Education Center

SAN FRANCISCO and THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn., Dec. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- UBM Electronics, a UBM company and the daily source of essential business and technical information for the electronics industry's decision makers, and electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry's largest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, today announced the Digi-Key Continuing Education Center, a six-month, free virtual training service created exclusively for electronic, design and test engineers. The program was designed by Design News, the premier technical resource for design engineers throughout the manufacturing sector.

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The courses allow engineers to build their knowledge, get current with knowledge and network with peers as well as thought leaders. The first course in the series – Microcontrollers, Basics – will begin January 16, 2012 and will be presented by lecturer, Jon Titus, contributing technical editor, Design News and Alexander Wolfe, Content Director, Design News.

The Microcontrollers, Basics track will cover:

• Introduction: Fundamentals of Designing With Microcontrollers
• Part II: Picking the Right MCU for Your Application
• Part III: Successful Software Development for MCU Applications
• Part IV: Fundamentals of Digital Debugging
• Part V: Tricks With PIC: Using the Trusty PIC Microcontroller

The next three tracks include:

• Microcontrollers, Advanced will be presented by Jack Ganssle, embedded systems guru, and Wolfe, beginning January 23, 2012.
• Sensors will be presented by Randy Frank, President of Randy Frank & Associates, Ltd., a consultancy that focuses on sensors, power, and automotive electronics and Wolfe, beginning February 6, 2012.
• Basic Industrial Control Processing will be presented by Clive "Max" Maxfield, a consultant, speaker and the author of "FPGAs: Instant Access" and Wolfe, beginning February 20, 2012.

Future tracks include Lighting, Embedded Internet & Cloud, Wireless, and Power.

Wolfe said, "We are very pleased to be partnering with Digi-Key to bring this education to design engineers. I am overseeing the development and the courses to ensure that we are delivering our audience with top-notch content. This education allows engineers to increase their engineering knowledge and stay current with key trends."

"Digi-Key has actively sought business partnerships that allow us to provide product and complementary educational information to our customers," said Tony Harris, Digi-Key's CMO. "The Digi-Key Continuing Education Center is a great asset to engineers who desire to increase their knowledge base. With increasing demands on engineers to create and produce quality technology, it is even more important for them to be able to access continuing education resources. We take pride in offering the most in-stock product available for immediate shipment as well as the resources and information necessary to make the engineer's job easier."

To view the entire course calendar and to register to participate in the courses, visit:  http://www.designnews.com/lecture-calendar.asp.

About Digi-Key Corporation
As one of the world's leading, totally integrated, Internet-based distributors of electronic components, Digi-Key Corporation has earned its reputation as an industry leader through its total commitment to service and performance. Digi-Key is a full-service provider of both prototype/design and production quantities of electronic components, offering more than two million products from over 500 quality name-brand manufacturers at www.digikey.com. A testament to Digi-Key's unparalleled commitment to service, North American design engineers have ranked Digi-Key as the #1 Most Preferred Distributor (UBM/EE Times Electronic's Distributor Customer Evaluation Study/June 2011). With global sales for 2010 surpassing $1.5 billion, Digi-Key's single location in North America is one of its greatest assets. Additional information and access to Digi-Key's broad product offering is available at www.digikey.com.

About UBM Electronics
UBM Electronics is the global leader in media and marketing solutions for the electronics industry. UBM Electronics delivers results for the key influencers and decision makers involved in the design, development and commercialization of technology through its market leading brands, peer communities and professional education services. More than 2.2 million engineering professionals engage with UBM Electronics brands which include EE Times, EDN, EDN China, EDN Asia, EDN Japan, Design News and Test & Measurement World, TechOnline, Designlines and Embedded.com across the globe to accelerate technology sales. The international electronics community gathers at UBM Electronics market leading events such as the Embedded Systems Conferences, DESIGN West, DesignCon and ARM Technology Conference to share, learn, discuss, and advance the critical issues and challenges facing the electronics industry. Additionally, UBM Electronics provides end-to-end services ranging from next-generation marketing, integrated media, custom solutions and research. UBM Electronics is part of UBM (UBM.L) a global provider of media and information services for professional B2B communities and markets.

About UBM plc
UBM plc is a leading global business media company. We inform markets and bring the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print and provide them with the information they need to do business successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewellery traders, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. Our 6,000 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.  For more information, go to www.ubm.com

For more information on UBM Electronics please contact:
Felicia Hamerman, Vice President, Marketing
T: 516.562.5652, E: felicia.hamerman@ubm.com

SOURCE UBM Electronics