The Certified Internet Web Professional (CIW) education program was created by a community of Web designers and developers in the late 1990s. The company that currently owns CIW, Certification Partners, offers books, on-line learning and high-stakes exams. Third-party companies also sell CIW preparation material. Universities, community colleges and secondary schools from North America to EMEA, Japan and China currently use CIW. For example, the University of the West of Scotland uses CIW because it needs to base its programs on specific competencies and outcomes.