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Scottish Online Training System Awarded Prestigious City & Guilds Endorsment
25 June 2004
Innovative online training system Learning Assistant has secured the endorsement of the UK's leading provider of vocational awards, City & Guilds. The announcement is a welcome boost for the Glasgow-based company following the eLearning International World Summit 2004 held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
The endorsement approves the use of Learning Assistant by any City & Guilds learning centre wishing to adopt the system, creating the opportunity to grow the business considerably throughout the UK and on an international basis.
The Learning Assistant system can also now provide access to an even wider range of qualifications, with City and Guilds currently offering over 500 qualifications in a range of occupational sectors, from agriculture to plumbing, IT to management and hairdressing to catering. Valued by employers in every sector of business, the qualifications assess skills that are of practical value in the work place.
Managing director Roberta Brown established Learning Assistant in 2002, along with an experienced management team, to transform the way vocational qualifications are delivered. The system has already been adopted by a number of blue-chip clients including IBM, the AA, Learndirect Scotland, Reid Kerr Further Education College and VTS, an Aberdeen-based training provider which uses the system to deliver vocational training in the Arabian gulf and on oil rigs off Aberdeen.
Roberta said: "Receiving the stamp of approval from City and Guilds really reinforces all the effort we have put into developing and marketing the system and will give our customers even more confidence in Learning Assistant. Achieving the endorsement of a national, well respected organisation opens up a number of opportunities and will enable us to take the business to a new level."
The partnership means that City & Guilds will now work alongside Learning Assistant to promote the system.
Mike Dawe, E-Strategy & Learning Manager for City & Guilds said: "Learning Assistant supports a candidate-lead approach to learning and makes good use of the expertise of assessors. Ideal for Vocational areas where the storing of electronic data is integral to the function i.e. Management, Admin & IT. The structure of the application and its interface should feel intuitive to anyone who is familiar with vocational qualifications. Learning Assistant should be an enhancement to any Centre's current systems."
In order to achieve the accreditation, Learning Assistant was required to undergo a rigorous evaluation by City & Guilds and was assisted throughout this process by Stirling-based business consultants Company Growth.
Consultant Paul Forrest, who has worked with Learning Assistant since its inception, said: "It's fantastic to see a Scottish company achieving the high standards demanded by City & Guilds. Improving access to learning is key to improving the skills base not only in Scotland but throughout the UK and systems such as Learning Assistant, which use internet delivery, have a major role to play in achieving this by making education more flexible."
Organisations subscribing to Learning Assistant require only an Internet connection and a web browser to access the cost effective, online training support package which allows the delivery and assessment of learning programmes, leading to SVQ, NVQ and now City & Guilds qualifications.
Learners can work at their own pace, in the environment that suits them best and have their coursework assessed online. This breakthrough accelerates learners training and reduces trainer workload while increasing the quality of learning for all.
Learning Assistant features a variety of online tools to assist the learning process and improve efficiency. Key documentation such as course notes are available online as part of a course folder, and learners are able to store their portfolio of work online to use as evidence of standards achieved. An online contact diary further supports the relationship between learner and trainer while online communities allow learners to share knowledge and tap into a support network of peers.
To simplify the start-up process for organisations looking to offer online training, an all-inclusive introductory package is available, while the transparent "per learner per course" price structure allows training providers to easily manage their training budget by linking it to learner volume.
Learning Assistant is ideal for both large and small organisations, with companies looking to train a large number of people catered for by volume licensing agreements and leasing options. The system is particularly cost effective for organisations with candidates spread over a wide geographical area. As there is no need to travel to a centre for training or assessment, there are no travel costs involved.
Notes to editors:
Learning Assistant
Developed specifically for the needs of the current learning marketplace, Learning Assistant delivers powerful portfolio building and assessment tools that empower training organisations to accelerate their learners training, whilst both improving the quality of the training that is delivered and reducing overall learning costs. Learning Assistant is deployed in a variety of ways, either as an ASP (Application Service Provision), rental service or a custom implementation for corporate and public sector clients
City & Guilds
City & Guilds is the leading vocational awarding body in the UK, awarding almost 50% of all National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). There are more than 8,500 approved City & Guilds centres worldwide offering more than 500 qualifications in almost all sectors. Assessments and qualifications are delivered through further education colleges, businesses, private training providers as well as the public sector, armed forces and some universities. With an annual turnover of £60 million employing over 700 people, City & Guilds is a registered charity and was granted a Royal Charter in 1900.
Issued on behalf of Learning Assistant and Company Growth by Beattie Communications For further information: Kerry Davidson (Beattie Communications) 01324 602 550