Media Contacts:
Adam Gaber
Sr. Director, Public Relations
Thomson Learning
203.425.1363
Adam.Gaber@thomson.com

Pete Masalin
President
IBTA
904.982.8600
Pete.Masalin@cybpcertify.com

Thomson Prometric and the International Business Training Association Develop the Certified Business Professional for the Global Market

BALTIMORE, MD. JULY 20, 2004 - Thomson Prometric, the global leader in technology-enabled testing and assessment services, and part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC), and the International Business Training Association (IBTA), sponsor of the Certified Business Professional (CBP), today announced its three-year agreement to deliver the CBP using Thomson Prometric Internet-based testing – expanding the opportunity to become a CBP and a CBP Authorized Training Partner in the global marketplace.

CBP is an international credential that validates and develops the business professional.  The program establishes a foundation-level, industry-neutral certification for business professionals enabling employers and the candidate to have a platform to develop the Certified Business Professional for target positions within corporations.

"After careful evaluation, IBTA decided to exclusively align with Thomson Prometric based upon their credentials as a market leader of Internet-based testing and assessment tools.  The flexibility afforded IBTA with their Internet-Based Assessment product will improve and support our knowledge assessment program, provide authoring and reporting features, and afford IBTA and its partners accessibility anytime and anywhere around the globe," said Pete Masalin, President, IBTA.  "Additionally, Thomson Prometric marketing support will further our reach in providing professional training organizations with a complementary program to their existing syllabus."

"We're pleased that the IBTA recognizes our international leadership position in delivering knowledge assessment exams," said Alison Indrisano, Thomson Prometric senior vice president of Global Operations.  "It's exciting to think about the opportunities possible for Certified Business Professionals, across the globe, as a result of this alignment.  "We are looking forward to our continued collaboration with the IBTA."

IBTA offers the opportunity to become an Authorized Training Partner (ATP) for the CBP.  ATPs receive IBTA support in the form of referrals, sales and marketing support, industry news and instructor program support.  Visit http://www.cbpcertify.com to learn more about becoming an ATP.

About The Thomson Corporation and Thomson Prometric
The Thomson Corporation (http://www.thomson.com/), with 2003 revenues of $7.6 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers.  Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to more than 20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate training and assessment, scientific research and healthcare.  With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson has approximately 39,000 employees and provides services in approximately 130 countries.  The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC). Its learning businesses and brands serve the needs of individuals, learning institutions, corporations and government agencies with products and services for both traditional and distributed learning. Thomson Prometric (www.prometric.com) is the global leader in technology-enabled testing and assessment services for academic, professional, government, corporate and information technology markets.   Thomson Prometric delivers standardized tests for 300 clients, in 26 languages, over the Web or through a global network of testing centers in 134 countries. Based in Baltimore, Md., Thomson Prometric employs 3,000 employees worldwide.

About IBTA
The International Business Training Association is a knowledge-centered organization committed to the training and certifying of business professionals to international standards.  IBTA's mission is to equip business professionals with the skills and certification required to meet and surpass business standards in our global industry.

IBTA officially released its business certifications in 2003 under the brand of the Certified Business Professional (CBPÔ), and after two years of initial consultation and development.  Today, IBTA's CBP certification is the fastest growing soft-skills certification for business professionals with partners in the U.S., Canada, Asia, Middle East, Australia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

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