Open source visionary Nat Friedman, who since selling Ximian to Novell has become "VP of product development" for Novell Ximian Services, will soon help Novell kick off a plan to start offering a Certified Linux Engineer program at its Advanced Technical Training (ATT) conferences.

The inaugural ATT conference - "Novell ATT Live" - takes place in Provo, Utah later this month. Its ATT courses are the most advanced training offered by the Novell.

"While product-specific ATT courses have been offered publicly since 1995, we concluded that an intensive, hands-on experience across a breadth of technologies and held at Novell's headquarters would provide a superior learning experience," said Daniel Veitkus, vice president of worldwide training services for Novell. "As we move more aggressively into the Linux space, including launching our Novell Certified Linux Engineer program worldwide in early 2004, we're seeing a growing interest in learning about Novell's offerings," he continued.

The conference offers over 40 hands-on sessions by Novell ATT instructors not normally offered in Novell's public training schedule, Veitkus added. "Attendees also have the opportunity to interact with Novell instructors, product teams, and developers on the Provo campus," he said.