Online learning company lynda.com has released the first of several Microsoft Office training courses it will offer this year, coinciding with the Microsoft release of Office 2013 and Office 365.

Courses covering popular Microsoft programs like Excel, Word and Outlook have been some of the most requested by lynda.com members. The company offers more than 175 Microsoft courses, providing training for the widely used Office applications and Windows 8, as well as more advanced Microsoft applications for developers. It also offers training on the new subscription model Microsoft is introducing with its release of Office 365, covered in the course Up and Running with Office Web Apps taught by Curt Frye.

Whether using the subscription model with Office 365, or the traditional suite of products with Office 2013, the new lynda.com courses cover instruction for both. Here are the first courses timed with the latest release of Office:

• Office 2013 New Features: David Rivers introduces what's new in Office 2013, including a look at cloud integration, Skype collaboration and ribbon customization. The course also takes a look at individual application enhancements in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher, OneNote and Outlook.
• Excel 2013 Essential Training: Dennis Taylor teaches Excel 2013 basics, covering formulas, worksheets, charts, PivotTables, macros and formatting. It includes tips to build charts and protect data in shared spreadsheets.
• Word 2013 Essential Training: David Rivers teaches the basics of working with documents in Word 2013, from creating and editing documents to formatting text. The course explains new functionality to edit PDF documents and insert online videos.
• SharePoint Foundation 2013 Essential Training: Gini Courter shows the basics of getting started using SharePoint Foundation 2013 to create a SharePoint site for business collaboration and real-time document sharing.

“Microsoft’s new release shows how technology and software change rapidly, and lynda.com is committed to helping people stay up to date,” said Tanya Staples, vice president of content and production for lynda.com. “Our courses give professionals the opportunity to deepen their understanding and develop the skills they need to get ahead in their careers or grow their businesses."

The company will offer additional Microsoft Office training this year, with a number of courses scheduled to be released in February. The timely release of these courses demonstrates the company’s mission to provide lynda.com members with access to the most relevant course content online. With this effort, lynda.com supports more than two million members worldwide who have access to its library of instructional videos.

About lynda.com

lynda.com is an online learning company that helps anyone learn software, technology, creative and business skills to achieve their personal and professional goals. Through individual, corporate, academic and government subscriptions, more than two million people have access to the lynda.com video library of engaging, top-quality courses taught by recognized industry experts and filmed at the company’s 12-acre, state-of-the-art campus in Carpinteria, California. Founded in 1995 and incorporated in 1997, lynda.com is led by co-founders Lynda Weinman and Bruce Heavin and president and CEO Eric Robison. Learn more about lynda.com at www.lynda.com/press and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lynda.