Autodesk Adds Significant New Benefits to Assistance Program

By DE Editors

With more than 4,600 participants in the Autodesk Assistance Program and more than 5,000 product downloads to date, Autodesk is announcing significant additions to the program announced six weeks ago. The program was designed to help displaced workers in the architecture, engineering, design,  and manufacturing industries maintain and develop their 3D design technology skills and help improve their employability in a down economy.

Additions include the increase of available products from four to 17 of the latest versions of Autodesk’s 2D and 3D design and engineering software, a product discount for companies that hire program participants, a new term license for AutoCAD software, and enhancements to eLearning materials.

“We continue to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from both customers and partners participating in the Autodesk Assistance Program, which further validates that this program is helping customers improve their productivity and competitiveness during this challenging and volatile time,” said Steve Blum, senior vice president of Americas Sales at Autodesk. “The enhancements we’ve made to the program are a natural extension that will now also benefit employers, and further benefit our customers and partners.”

Autodesk Assistance Program tools and resources are available through an online portal, where users can learn more about the program enhancements, including:

• Employer discount: Companies that hire program participants not only benefit from the extensive training resources that have been provided to these candidates, but also receive a discount of up to 40 percent for new commercial licenses of AutoCAD, AutoCAD Inventor Suite,  Autodesk Revit Architecture, and AutoCAD Civil 3D software. This offer is designed to make hiring more attractive and therefore create more jobs in the industry. Program participants needing a commercial license of software to perform consulting may also be interested in taking advantage of this offer.
• New term license: Autodesk is now offering a new 12-month stand-alone license of AutoCAD 2010 or AutoCAD 2009 software for $1,995 to commercial customers in the United States.
• Firm resources: To help firms improve productivity and examine work processes, Autodesk has made a number of resources related to digital prototyping (DP) and building information modeling (BIM) available on the Autodesk Assistance Program online portal. These resources cover a range of projects, including the types of projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
• Products available: In addition to the 2010 versions of AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit Architecture, Autodesk Inventor Suite, and AutoCAD Civil 3D software, program participants can now also access a free* 13-month term (except where noted) student license of the latest version of products.
• New eLearning Materials: In addition to the more than 70 value-added resellers and Autodesk Authorized Training Center (ATC) partners that are offering classroom training at their facilities for free or for a significantly reduced fee, Autodesk has bolstered the online training resources to include two new elements. Autodesk Assistance Program members may receive full access with a separate Autodesk University (AU) Online membership. This resource provides 1,000-plus session videos and handouts, including more than 400 sessions from AU 2008. The same learning resources available to Autodesk Subscription customers are now available to Autodesk Assistance Program members, including 15 to 20 minute interactive modules that offer hands-on exercises and knowledge-assessment tools.
 

For more information, visit Autodesk.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.