Aidmatrix Centers of Excellence harness the power of the private sector to empower young people to master the technology skills and gain the experiences they need to secure a future with leading employers in their region or launch their own enterprises. The net result is not only the student's life changed, but local employers receive access to the talent they need to grow, and ultimately their local economy is transformed. The Aidmatrix Centers of Excellence in Slovakia is a partnership among Aidmatrix, Aptech Europe, and TechSoup Global Affiliate, Pontis Foundation.

Tomas Bozik, Director at Aptech Europe, drove over 6,000 kilometers delivering the equipment and initial training to the programs. "One of our main aims is to support the educational system in Slovakia and help to prepare IT specialists. We have never received such a significant gift and been able to make such an incredible impact for students all over our country," said Bozik.

Both Brocade and Aidmatrix have strong partnerships with TechSoup Global. When Brocade came to TechSoup with such a large gift of high value technologies, they identified Aidmatrix as uniquely skilled to benefit from the offer.

"Having the opportunity to provide our products to this program is a privilege," said Jeff Rangel, Director of Corporate Affairs at Brocade. "The opportunity to serve such a unique need and make an impact on an entire generation of future technologists is in perfect alignment with what the Brocade culture values."

"Partnerships like this with the team at Brocade show the tremendous power that one company can bring to the critical task of helping incubate the next generation of technologists and problem solvers," said Keith Thode, COO and CTO of Aidmatrix. "We are grateful to Brocade and our skilled team of partners at Pontis, Aptech Europe, and TechSoup for making this possible."

To learn more about Aidmatrix' Centers of Excellence, visit www.aidmatrix.org