A successful first year for HELP International Corporation

Kuala Lumpur, Monday 24 December 2007 – HELP International Corporation Berhad (HELP Group) closed its 2007 accounts for its first year of being a public listed company on a high note both financially and academically. For the financial year ending 31 October 2007, the HELP Group recorded revenues of RM61.701 million, which represents a 15.3% increase of RM8.195 million from the RM53.506 million recorded in 2006. The Group’s profit before tax increased by 11.9% to RM 13.398 million from RM11.975 million in 2006.

This also represents a variance of an 8.6% increase on the profit forecast issued in its prospectus dated 27 April 2007. The profit for HELP’s 2007 financial year is RM 9.776 million. The Group has also announced that it will be paying a final dividend of 6%, 3 sen per ordinary share of 50 sen each less 27% taxation. The final dividend, if approved by the shareholders will result in a total dividend of 3 sen on 88,776,000 ordinary shares of 50 sen each less 27% taxation amounting to RM1.94 million. HELP’s shares hit a high of RM2.02 on 5 October 2007 approximately four months after listing on 22 May 2007. Its IPO price was RM0.80. Mrs Chan-Low Kam Yoke, CEO and Co-Founder of HELP said: “We are pleased that we have been consistent in achieving our results.

Despite the competitiveness of the market, we have performed well – not just financially, but also in terms of our brand recognition, internationalization effort, diversification of our programmes and partnerships, and also in producing outstanding results.” For example, HELP International Corporation’s flagship subsidiary, HELP University College (HUC)’s Bachelor of Business (Accounting) Honours is the first accounting programme offered at a private university college in Malaysia to be accredited by CPA Australia, thus allowing HUC’s graduates to be eligible to apply for CPA Australia’s Associate membership provided all the required core curriculum subjects are completed. The degree was also given such recognition by the United Kingdom’s ACCA, and ICAEW. The big four accounting firms and multinational companies regularly headhunt HUC’s accounting and business students for internships and employment.

This will reinforce HUC as the dominant accounting and business school and will attract more international students into the programme. The management will continue to build HUC into one of the top business schools in Asia during the next few years. HUC also had a record-breaking year for its Edexcel London A-Levels programme setting unprecedented world records in 2007 by achieving 26 World Awards of perfect scores of 600 for Accounting, Law, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Further Mathematics. HELP also had a record of 26 students entering the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 2007. “HELP is also the largest Edexcel Centre in the world. As a successful model for the London A-Levels programme, we will be working with Edexcel International to start new centres in China and Indonesia in 2008, and in Africa later. HELP is proud to export its academic and management skills by Edexcel, the largest examination board in the world,” said Mrs Chan. The HELP Group has also been intensifying its export promotion through aggressive recruiting of international students, and exporting its own programmes to countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia. “An increasing number of foreign universities and professional bodies have approached the HELP Group to replicate its model in their countries,” Mrs Chan further added. “We have in 2007 successfully negotiated with universities in the UK, US, Australia and China in various collaboration programmes.

This will give the HELP Group wider access to more programmes and a stronger reach to international markets. We anticipate that by 2008, the number of quality partnerships collaborating with us to increase.” HELP’s excellent teaching and academic quality is reflected in the outcomes especially in the Law programme, with numerous overseas scholarships clinched by its students, includingn getting several First Class Honours. Its Psychology programme is the largest in Malaysia amongst both public and private universities, and is the largest for a private university in Asia. The programme is recognized for its strong faculty and its growing research, and student enrollment is increasing steadily. The HELP Group, which works strategically to offer new niche courses to serve the economic and development needs of Asia has identified some new niche programmes.

These programmes have a strong growth potential, an attractive margin, and are wanted by employers. A suite of potential partners from the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States are discussing with HUC to deliver these programmes in Malaysia and Asia. “Some of the new courses we will be offering are hospitality, tourism, and event management as these industries are growing very rapidly in Asia and in the Middle East. With the integrated resorts being built in Singapore, Dubai, and Macau, there will be a need for more skilled and trained staff in these areas, and there is also a massive shortfall. We aim to train more people for this particular industry,” said Dr Paul Chan, President and Co-Founder of the HELP Group. As part of its growth, the HELP Group has recently acquired the former SIT International College, now renamed HELP International College of Technology. Its focus is on engineering, health science, and IT programmes. It has also received approval for Edith Cowan University’s MBA and 3+0 in business.

With HICT and HUC, the HELP Group has a dominant presence in the Klang Valley, which is the national urban growth hub of Malaysia. HUC is preparing for full university status. In line with this, the faculty is further strengthened by more staff with PhDs and Masters. It is also planning a 25-acre residential campus as the core of its multi campus city university status. “We are optimistic of sustaining our financial performance and our plan to ‘grow with value’ for 2008. We want to achieve the 5Ps: to be a preferred college for students; a preferred organization for employees; a preferred choice by MNCs to headhunt our students; a preferred partner by quality foreign universities and professional bodies, and a preferred choice by investors,” said Dr Paul Chan. During 2007, the HELP Group has also contributed to financial assistance to help merit and needy students. A RM 5 million scholarship and other study loans were given from its RM 25 million Trust Fund. It has also contributed to charity. The psychology school continues to help disadvantaged people and its community programmes are widely appreciated. HELP is a social business enterprise and it has discharged its responsibilities to the community at large. For its branding performance and recognition, HUC will be awarded with The Brand Laureate Chapter Award 2007 for Brand Excellence. The Award will be given on 8 January 2008.

ENDS HELP International Corporation Berhad was incorporated on 20 June 2005 as the investment holding company for its various businesses, which are primarily in the field of education. It was listed on the Second Board of Bursa Malaysia on 22 May 2007. HELP University College (“HUC”), its flagship subsidiary, is the main contributor to HELP International Corporation, and has been a pioneer and innovator in tertiary education in Malaysia since 1986, and has an established reputation and brand recognition in the market.

Currently, the HELP International Corporation and its subsidiaries (“HELP Group”) consists of six main institutions: HELP University College (HUC), HELP ICT (HICT), HELP Training Centre (“HTC”), HELP Academy (“HA”), HELP Executive Advanced Training (“HEAT”), the International Centre for Security Management (“ICSM”), and HELP M&E.

• HUC was among the pioneers who introduced foreign ‘twinning’ and external programmes to Malaysia in the 1980s, and is also one of the leading colleges’ conferred University College status by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in August 2004. HUC’s current registered enrolment is currently over 8,000 students, of which there are more than a thousand foreign students from 61 countries across the globe pursuing their degrees at the institution.
• HICT was formerly Sepang Institute of Technology (SIT), a college based in Klang, Selangor, Malaysia. It offers courses in pharmacy, engineering, and various social science courses including the University of London External Programme.
• HTC concentrates on providing vocational education and training, and other skill based programs.
• HA is set up to complement HELP University College in selected areas of tertiary education particularly in 3-year programs with UK and Australian universities and 4-year programs with US universities among others.
• HEAT is mainly targeted to provide executive education and it focuses on Management of Fraud, Sales and Islamic Banking among others.
• HELP M&E will provide pre-university courses/services which will include tuition classes, specialized education workshops and courses at pre-school, kindergarten, primary, and secondary school levels. It will also be involved in the distribution or agent for educational products and services.
• These subsidiaries are under the holding company of HELP International Corporation, which will continue to provide excellence in education and strive to reinforce Malaysia’s position as an education hub.

Media Contact Juliet Chan Public and Investor Relations Officer HELP International Corporation chanjq [at] hic [dot] com [dot] my Tel: 03-20992905