The UK LearnOnline consortium comprises of some of the UK’s leading e-learning businesses: Epic, the Workshop, Digitalbrain and the National Extension College (NEC).
The learning content’s production value has been estimated at some $29.55m (£15m) by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta), which has responsibility for ensuring that learning content in the UK is ‘fit for purpose’ and matches the needs of both the learner and the learner’s organisation. The NLN content is over 600 hours long and covers a wide range of topics, from travel & tourism and environmental conversation to performing arts, sports and recreation.
NLN content is intended for a wide range of learners – from 16 year olds through to adults – covering adult and community learning; further and higher education; offender learning, and work-based learning. While the content is freely available in the UK, Learning Light is developing a number of channel partners in order to distribute this material outside the UK, by using its network of international expertise it has built up.
“The increased exposure of the UK learning industry through the activities of Learning Light working with UK LearnOnline will offer significant opportunities – internationally - for both locally-based and national e-learning organisations,”
“In addition, there are plans to extend the UK LearnOnline consortium in order to include more NLN producers – and the learning content that they have produced, Both the UK LearnOnline consortium and Learning Light are keen to work with more UK developers to expand the consortium and promote quality UK e-learning content worldwide,” he added.
“UK LearnOnline offers many exciting prospects for its member organisations,”
Jim Farmery, head of innovation at Yorkshire Forward commented: “This is an exciting coup for Learning Light and the Yorkshire and Humber based e-learning industry.
“In its appointment to manage and promote the work of UK LearnOnline, Learning Light has been recognised as a world class provider offering access to world class knowledge, research and learning - the UK’s e-learning offer will now be realised not only within the UK but to a worldwide market.
“The Yorkshire and Humber e-learning industry already holds two of the world’s largest applied e-learning services,” he continued. “It is partnerships such as this that continue to place the region at the heart of the use of learning technologies in the workplace – increasing the skills of our workforce and moving the region forward.”
“Our role within the consortium is to be the consortium’s exclusive representative to manage the marketing, sales licensing and administration of the NLN materials directly and through resellers worldwide – that is, anywhere outside the UK,” commented Mark Pittaway, LL’s CEO.
“In particular, we are looking for partners using established networks in the US and elsewhere to help promote and further develop markets for UK e-learning overseas. This is highly significant for the UK’s e-learning industry and shows Learning Light’s commitment to growing the industry.”
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Notes for Editors
About Learning Light Ltd
Learning Light is a non-profit organisation that highlights and promotes best practice in the use of learning technologies. Sheffield-based Learning Light is supported by Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency for Yorkshire and the Humber, and the European Regional Development Fund.
To find out more about Yorkshire Forward and the Yorkshire and Humber region, visit www.yorkshire-
Further information from:
Mark Pittaway/ Kay Simpson, Learning Light, +44 (0)114 201 5703
Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, +44 (0)1727 860405
