Learning Light
Second Floor, Gladstone Building,
1 St James Row, Sheffield, S1 2EU
Tel +44 (0)114 223 2442; Web www.learninglight.com
19th November 2010
Learning Light publishes its third definitive research report on
the corporate e-learning market
Learning Light has published its third report in four years on the
state of the e-learning sector in the UK - and, this year, provides
analysis on e-learning in 19 other countries too.
'The UK e-learning market 2010', a report by Learning Light, an
organisation which focuses on promoting the use of e-learning and
learning technologies, suggests that in the next 12 months, the UK
market will grow by no more that 4.76% on the 2009 figure.
The report reveals that, at most, the UK e-learning industry is
currently turning over some £472 million a year. Moreover, it
reveals that last year's predicted UK market growth - of up to 8% -
was achieved despite the general economic downturn.
Much enhanced compared with Learning Light's previous 2007 and 2009
e-learning market reports, the 2010 version includes interviews with
over 40 of the UK's leading e-learning companies, along with a
number of other organisations and individuals across Europe.
The report concludes that the UK remains the largest but not the
fastest growing European market for e-learning.
Learning Light's analysis of the market indicates that, while France
will enjoy considerable growth (7.64% on a market size of £375m), as
will Germany (7.75% on £242m), the e-learning markets in most
Scandinavian countries will grow faster, albeit from a lower base.
The fastest growing e-learning markets are identified as those in
Eastern Europe - notably Slovakia - which will be driven by
government and EU funded projects.
One of the report's co-authors, Gillian Broadhead, commented: "While
few of our interviewees failed to see the potential for growth in
the corporate e-learning market, many also felt that the present
economic downturn and the large reductions in Government expenditure
in the UK will dampen demand."
Her colleague, David Patterson added: "In terms of technology
trends, we see considerable innovation and potential disruption to
business models driven by open source technologies, mobile and smart
devices, e-books, the Cloud and software as a service (SaaS). We
retain our fundamental belief that this industry is evolving and
will continue to do so, its appetite undiminished in its wish to
exploit new technologies, devices and approaches to deliver
effective learning."
"We do, however, remain perplexed," said Glynn Jung, a learning
specialist, head of Learning Leadership and co-author of the report.
"Given the widespread acknowledgement that e-learning is now both
effective and engaging, it's curious that we're not seeing a greater
drive toward the adoption of e-learning by corporate leadership."
This report has informed discussion at the European e-learning
Summit, held in Sheffield from 17th to 19th November. The Summit
delegates - Europe's top e-learning strategists, content and systems
developers, drawn from the private and public sectors as well as
academia - discussed the European and world markets for e-learning,
identified industry trends and the key issues in e-learning today.
The Summit was supported by learndirect and by Creativesheffield,
which has also helped to sponsor 'The UK e-learning market 2010'
report.
Copies of Learning Light's latest report on the e-learning market
can be obtained from the Learning Light and E-learning Centre
websites, price £499. A brief summary of the report is available for
download, free, from
http://www.e-learningcentre.co.uk/
End
Notes for Editors
About the Learning Light Report
This report began as a simple attempt to update the report written
by John Helmer, on behalf of Learning Light, in 2007 on the size and
value of the UK e-learning industry. The 2009 Report updated this by
interviewing a number of leading players (vendors) in the industry
to ask their view of the market and by further seeking to quantify
the market size. This series of semi-structured interviews was
continued for the 2010 report.
About learndirect
Over the last 10 years, learndirect has pioneered the large scale
delivery of learning - supported by people but enabled by
technology. Over the last ten years learning with learndirect has
been shown to transform people's lives and helps businesses thrive.
Whether it is to get a new job, a promotion or to gain the
confidence needed to do more with their lives - helping people is at
the very heart of what learndirect is about. learndirect has opened
up opportunities for many who'd been turned off by education by
offering people a new way of learning. This has been done on a large
scale - after all, more than 2.8 million learners to date can't be
wrong.
About Creativesheffield
Creativesheffield is the UK's first city development company,
charged with delivering Sheffield's economic transformation. Its
core activities are:
-
Investment - to build on the success of Sheffield First for
Investment in attracting quality inward investment into the city.
-
Marketing - to achieve a positive shift in the perception of the
city; by publicising events within the city and promoting the city
to the outside world.
-
Regeneration - to develop the city's physical infrastructure to
internationally competitive standards, in line with the Sheffield
City Centre Masterplan.
-
Innovation - to create initiatives that will promote the growth of
the city's scientific, creative and cultural knowledge base.
-
Business Support Services - support businesses within the city and
locating in the city, including access to property databases, HR
support and advice on financial support.
About Learning Light Ltd
Sheffield-based Learning Light is a centre of excellence in the use
of e-learning and learning technologies in the workplace. Its
knowledge base contains over 400 papers offering insights and advice
on how to use e-learning & learning technologies.
Learning Light, which operates www.e-learningcentre.co.uk one of the
leading resources on e-learning in the UK, works closely with the
Universities of Leeds and Sheffield and has undertaken a Systematic
Literature Review of the available papers on the effective use of
e-learning in conjunction with the University of Sheffield.
Learning Light occupies a unique space in the e-learning and
learning technology sector networking with:
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Suppliers of e-learning and learning technologies to support the
growth of the sector
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Buyers
seeking out learning technology solutions to improve the
effectiveness of their business or organisation
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Leading organisations worldwide who provide it with market knowledge
from around the globe
It:
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Provides unbiased and impartial advice to both suppliers and
buyers
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Hosts events and workshops that provide the platforms to impart
and gain knowledge by encouraging collaboration and sharing of
best practice
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Acts as a conduit between suppliers and buyers to forge
successful business partnerships
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Provides market intelligence and benchmarking information gained
from its many contacts and networking partners
-
Provides access to research materials from leading learning
technology professionals
Further information from:
David Patterson/ Gill Broadhead, Learning Light, +44 (0)114 223 2442
Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, +44 (0)1727 860405
www.learninglight.com