Alexandria,VA- Feb.6, 2003-IDEAlliance announced today it's newest initiative: XTN, The XML Training Network. IDEAlliance (founded as the Graphic Communications Association) has developed the XTN network to provide educational training for XML and related standards, including XSLT, XML Schema, and SOAP. These 1-2 day courses are designed to enable participants to become proficient in a short period of time, at minimal cost. Targeted to individuals and organization who have Web-based content or systems that are distributed in a variety of platforms and operating systems, these course will cover a variety of XML and related technologies. "As a pioneer in XML that has helped foster the technology since day one, it makes sense for IDEAlliance to branch out into training," said Marion Elledge, Senior VP, IDEAlliance. "Because of the current state of the economy, companies are looking for ways to have their employees trained quickly, but thoroughly, in the most cost-efficient way possible. IDEAlliance will offer the perfect solution by providing these courses, that will eventually be offered elsewhere in the US, Canada, and even Europe. All of our XTN instructors are experts in these technologies, as well as being members of our association." The initial XTN curriculum will focus on XML, XSLT, XML Schema, and related standards and technology. The March courses will be held near IDEAlliance headquarters, in Alexandria, Virginia. The course list includes: - XML Syntax & Practices for Developers (March 17) - Introduction to XSLT & XPath for Developers (March 18 & 19) - Concepts & Benefits of XML for Decision Makers  (March 17) - XML Metadata Standards for Publishers (March 18) - Making XML Documents (March 19) - W3C XML Schema Essentials for Developers (March 20) - Information Modeling for DTD & Schema Design (March 20) - Understanding Topic Maps (March 21) - XML & Databases (March 21) Attendees can take one or several courses and can mix and match to make their own customized curriculum. Complete details can be found at the new XTN website at http://idealliance.org/xtn/schedule.asp. For more questions regarding the XTN event, contact IDEAlliance at 703-837-1070.