Learning Light illumines e-learning’s new era

Yorkshire’s top e-learning specialists, along with other key figures from industry and the public sector in the county have attended the official launch, in Sheffield, of Learning Light, a non-profit organisation that helps to build relationships between learning technology researchers, suppliers, buyers and learners. Supported by Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency for Yorkshire, and the Humber and Objective 1 South Yorkshire, Learning Light has a nationwide – and international - remit to provide bespoke and individual services to help both buyers and suppliers of learning technologies.

Speaking at the launch, Jane Knight, the head of research, organisational learning technologies at Learning Light, explained that the e-learning industry has developed from a state of ‘automation’ (putting ‘static’ courses online) to one of ‘innovation’. This has been made possible by a number of new technology-driven tools including blogs, wikis and podcasts.

“We now have ‘Web 2.0’,” Knight said, “and we are moving into a new era of sharing content, collaborating and syndicating learning materials online. This is not just about learning content but about developing new ways of learning.”

Knight went on to outline ten key areas of e-learning research which Learning Light will be addressing for its members:
• Trends in technology
• Issues related to workplace learning (such as copyright and hosting issues)
• Organisational case studies (highlighting best practice)
• Organisation surveys
• A comparison of e-learning tools and systems
• Developments in inspirational thinking
• Learning theory
• Linking technologies with organisatonal learning (to produce the ‘learning organisation’)
• An analysis of UK and European suppliers
• An analysis of UK and European e-learning market growth

Earlier, Mark Pittaway, Learning Light’s chief executive, had said: “The market for corporate learning materials in Europe is estimated to be worth some $893m and this is expected to reach $2.1bn by 2007. This suggests that organsations recognise that they need to manage and develop their knowledge capital, as it relates to their suppliers, employees, partners and customers, in order to support their business needs and objectives.”

Pittaway outlined how Learning Light can help them in this: through providing research and consultancy services, as well as acting as an e-learning clearing house to bring together buyers and reputable sellers.

Opening the evening’s proceedings, Stuart McFarlane, creative and digital industries manager at Yorkshire Forward, had commented: “Some 103,000 people are employed in 13,300 companies in digital industries within the Yorkshire and Humberside region. These already contribute some £8.8bn to the UK’s GDP and these figures are predicted to grow by some 20 per cent over the next five years.

“This, along with our aim that, by 2016 the Yorkshire and Humberside region will be globally recognised as a centre for digital industries, prompted us to support the creation of Learning Light,” he said.

Mark Pittaway added: “Through Learning Light, we are striving to create a European Centre of Excellence for the use of learning technologies in the workplace.”

end

Notes for Editors:

About Learning Light Ltd

Learning Light is a non-profit organisation that builds relationships between learning technology researchers, suppliers, buyers and learners providing learner-centric information to encourage the growth of learning technologies. By sharing comprehensive research, highlighting successes and failures, Learning Light helps to promote the learning technologies community.

Learning Light provides bespoke and individual services to help both buyers and suppliers of learning technologies (e-Learning). Its current services include:

Research Services
Providing access to expert insights, advice and guidance built on indepth research. Helping organisations to effectively implement learning technologies (e-Learning) and integrate them within their workflow processes.

Membership Services
Partnering with leading thinkers in the industry and providing a network for all interested in the field to share information, knowledge, insight, experience and expertise, through utilising online community tools, networking events, conferences and guru seminars.

Professional Services
Our highly experienced team offers organisations access to range of competitively priced consultancy services supporting buyers with the effective implementation of their learning technology (e-Learning) requirements. And, for suppliers, helping to provide a range of services to assist market awareness and generate growth.

In addition, Learning Light provides a comprehensive Professional Development programme to help Learning & Development professionals understand the significance of learning technologies in the workplace today and how to effectively implement them within the workflow processes of their organisation.


Sheffield-based Learning Light is supported by Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency for Yorkshire, and the Humber and Objective 1 South Yorkshire.


Further information from:
Mark Pittaway/ Kay Simpson, Learning Light, 0114 201 5703
Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, 01727 860405

www.learninglight.com