Learning Light
Second Floor, Gladstone Building,
1 St James Row, Sheffield, S1 2EU
Tel +44 (0)114 223 2442; Web www.learninglight.com
25th November 2010
European e-learning Summit agrees a programme to promote the
corporate e-learning sector
Delegates at the European e-learning Summit, organised by Learning
Light with support from learndirect and Creativesheffield and held
in Sheffield (17th to 19th November) have agreed to pursue dialogue
with national governments to establish a single, independent and
impartial body representing the corporate e-learning sector.
The key messages coming from the Summit delegates were:
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The
use of technology to develop, deliver, store and manage training (a
definition of e-learning) is core to the whole training sector.
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The
e-learning industry needs a single, independent and impartial (in
terms of e-learning producers) national voice to promote the
industry to Government. This is true not just in terms of the UK
Government but also true for all European Governments.
-
This
is not just a case of coming together to lobby Government but also
banding together to source contracts collaboratively - both as
individual contracts with smaller customers and as consortia to
fulfil large contracts placed by, for example, global businesses and
Government departments.
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E-learning needs to be seen as being about transforming business
performance (helping users sell more; deliver compliance for less;
reduce costs and increase profits) rather than just another tool for
the HR learning and development armoury.
In addition, delegates raised concerns over:
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e-learning's name, credibility and visibility among business
leaders.
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the apparent dearth of certified instructional or learning
designers - and the mechanism for developing them to a
consistent standard.
The
Summit delegates, drawn from the private and public sectors as well
as academia, came from as far afield as Italy, Greece, the Czech
Republic and even, in an observer capacity, Australia. Their
discussions were informed by, among other things, '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.
Speakers at the Summit included not only David Patterson, of
Learning Light, but also Carin Martell, Business Development Manager
at the leading learning content management (LCMS) and digital
repository (DR) solution provider, eXact learning solutions; Kirstie
Donnelly, director of service design and development at learndirect,
and Piers Lea, the managing director of LINE Communications and a
member of the European Learning Industry Group (ELIG).
Summit delegate Matthew Lloyd, managing director of e-learning
solutions provider Omniplex, commented: "Discussing key issues in
e-learning - such as the shift from bespoke e-learning content
creation to the in-house use of rapid authoring tools; the growth of
e-learning for mobile delivery, and the morphing of structured
e-learning programmes into less structured electronic performance
support - was most stimulating. Moreover, I believe that the
delegates reached a consensus on a way forward for the industry
which should help to raise its profile as well as help it contribute
to the approaching economic recovery."
Another delegate, Dr Ladislava Knihova, an e-learning specialist
from the Czech Republic, said: "I have greatly valued this Summit.
In addition to providing a valuable networking opportunity with the
e-learning world's senior champions, the event enabled issues to be
discussed - and a consensus reached - which can bring cohesion and
collaboration, helping this industry to meet the challenges of
today's business world.
"It was good to see competitors in the e-learning market coming
together in Sheffield to collaborate in practical, 'hands-on'
discussions on current key issues - most notably addressing how to
raise the profile of e-learning with national governments throughout
Europe," she added.
"I've been in this industry for 16 years and never before have I
been involved in discussions about e-learning like those at the
Summit," said Patrick Fitzpatrick, managing director of PTK
Learning.
"We were delighted to be able to host the European e-learning
Summit," said Creativesheffield's chief executive, Paul Firth.
"Holding such an event in this city helps cement Sheffield's
recently won accolade of being the UK's 'e-learning capital'."
"It was clear that the Summit presented a dynamic opportunity to
discuss key issues of mutual value," said David Kay, of Sero
Consulting and the chairman of Learning Light. "We're delighted to
have helped to provide the industry with that opportunity."
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:
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Investment - to build on the success of Sheffield First for
Investment in attracting quality inward investment into the city.
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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.
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Regeneration - to develop the city's physical infrastructure to
internationally competitive standards, in line with the Sheffield
City Centre Masterplan.
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Innovation - to create initiatives that will promote the growth of
the city's scientific, creative and cultural knowledge base.
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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
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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