Learning Assistant has taken the lead in developing the most advanced e-learning and online e-portfolio systems in the world and we intend to stay ahead of the pack! Within this section we will keep you up to date on all the latest developments as well as the awards / accreditations we win and the roadshows and events we will be attending.

• Learning Assistant approved by Edexcel
  The Learning Assistant e-portfolio solution has recently been awarded approval from the awarding body Edexcel for the delivery of vocational qualifications. As a result, we look forward to furthering our relationship with Edexcel.

• ABC Awards Youth Work Roadshow - March April 2007
  ABC Awards is planning a series of Youth Work qualification events which will be held nationally throughout March and April 2007.
  
  These roadshows are aimed at extending support to centres currently offering Youth Work qualifications and to enable their future development. In addition, this event will bring together professionals in the field as well as those new centres interested in finding out more about the qualifications. It is a unique opportunity for organisations in this sector to meet a large number of delegates from related areas, gain the opportunity to see demonstrations of packages which will assist with assessment processes and to enter into discussions with the awarding body.
  
  At two of these events (Birmingham and Tower Hamlets), Learning Assistant will be providing a demonstration of their award winning e-portfolio solution ideal for delivering ABC's Youthwork qualification.
  
  Venues
  22 March 2007 - Birmingham
  29 March 2007 - Taunton
  17 April 2007 - Wigan
  19 April 2007 - Tower Hamlets
  
  If you would like to see how an For further information, please visit the ABC Awards website.

• LSC pilot suggests Learning Assistant could help slash £1bn of waste
  Times Educational Supplement, 7th Apr 2006:
  Electronic, rather than paper, portfolios for vocational courses save money and boost achievement, LSC pilot suggests
  
  Colleges could cut assessment costs by at least £500 million, and slash the time students take to complete vocational courses by two-thirds, using a new electronic assessment scheme.
  
  Evidence from a Learning and Skills Council pilot study of computerised assessment shows that as much as £1 billion a year is being wasted on duplicated effort and paperwork associated with NVQs and related vocational courses.
  
  The new, faster assessment methods used in the pilot are also reported to have resulted in a sharp increase in student staying-on and achievement rates."
  
  "If you ask for a written testimony from a manager, you could be waiting till Christmas. Put a digital recorder under a manager's nose and say 'Can you explain what Madge did in her practice last week?' they can do it in five minutes," she said.
  
  Only one in 10, or 200,000, FE students currently uses eportfolios, said Mike Dawe, senior online assessment manager at City & Guilds. The awarding body wants to encourage more colleges to use electronic systems and is offering "a stamp of approval" to eportfolio providers such as QuickStep, Learning Assistant and OneFile.
  
  Click here for full article.

• New user type makes using Learning Assistant even easier.
  In order to simplify the login process for customers, existing Coach's/Assessor's and Internal Verifier's user accounts will be replaced by a single user license called "Trainer". This new user type is capable of all of the duties previously available to Coaches, Assessors and Internal Verifiers.
  
  For users that previously used one account, as a Coach/Assessor or as an Internal Verifier, there will be little noticeable difference, however for administrators and those users that Coached, Assessed and Internally Verified there will be a few changes to note.
  
  Read more about the changes in our new feature announcement.
  
  
• CTS integration module under development with Scottish Enterprise
  Learning Assistant are pleased to announce that we are among a select group of e-learning suppliers chosen by Scottish Enterprise's to develop an integration module for their CTS (Corporate Training System). CTS is an online funding claim management system that allows training providers to access funding from the public sector against agreed milestones. The proposed integration with Learning Assistant will offer our customers a much improved workflow for managing both systems and should help to remove much of the administrative burden of dealing with claims. Proposed launch dates to be announced in the near future.