SAN RAFAEL, Calif., July 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With nearly 7,000 participants in North America, and more than 8,000 product downloads to date, the Autodesk Assistance Program is now available in Europe. Launched in North America in April, 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.

"Overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers and partners has shown us that the Autodesk Assistance Program is not just of domestic interest," said Ken Bado, executive vice president of sales and services at Autodesk. "We're proud to expand the program globally in response to the challenging worldwide economic climate in hopes that design professionals around the globe will stay competitive and emerge from this crisis in a better place than they started."

The program is now available in Northern Europe, and will continue to roll out to the rest of Europe, Mexico and Brazil over the next few months. For more information about the Autodesk Assistance Program, please contact your local reseller, contact Autodesk directly at Email Contact or visit www.autodesk.com/assistanceprogram.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), is a world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art Digital Prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are real. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

*Free products are subject to the terms and conditions of the end-user license agreement that accompanies download of the software.

Autodesk and AutoCAD are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

(C) 2009 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Contact:   Angela Costa Simoes, (415) 547-2388
    Email:     angela.simoes@autodesk.com

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SOURCE Autodesk, Inc.

Web site: http://www.autodesk.com/