IT TRAINING AWARDS: CALL FOR ENTRIES The Institute of IT Training is calling for entries to the IT Training Awards 2009 sponsored by the British Computer Society (BCS). The Awards recognise outstanding examples of high standards, best practice, innovation and excellence in IT training. So if you are proud of your achievements and would like to win the recognition you deserve within the IT training profession, submit your entry and put your team in the spotlight at the IT training industry's night of the year. There are 13 award categories, including Training Company of the Year, External Training Project of the Year and Trainer of the Year. A new category this year is the Innovation in Training Services award, introduced to celebrate the most effective implementation of the latest developments in learning technology and techniques in the IT Training industry. Entry is free, and the closing date for entries is 30th September 2008. The awards will be presented at The Dorchester in London, on 5th February 2009. Full details of how to enterAug 2008
WANT TO AWARD YOUR OWN QUALIFICATIONS? NCFE is hosting a one-day conference on Becoming Recognised as an Awarding Body. The event will focus on the government’s decision to extend awarding powers to employers, colleges and training providers to offer their own qualifications in response to Lord Leitch’s recommendations. Leading industry speakers will examine the process of becoming a ‘Recognised Organisation’ and offer solutions to organisations interested in accrediting their own training. The event is on 24 September in London – detailsAug 2008
FURTHER INSIGHTS FROM E-SKILLS UK e-skills UK has released another four reports in its IT and Telecoms Insights 2008 series on the key trends, opportunities and challenges facing the UK over the next ten years, and their implications for skills. The four new reports now available are:
Trends and Skills in the UK Telecoms Industry
Competitiveness of the UK IT & Telecoms Sector – an evaluation of the competitiveness and performance of the sector regionally, nationally and internationally
The Impact of ICT on UK Productivity, and
Employer Skills Needs Survey – looking at skills gaps and future skills needs for IT & Telecoms professionals and IT users.
Members can find more details in Other Research pages. Free downloadable copies of the reports here. Aug 2008
TOP 20 COMPANIES IN TRAINING OUTSOURCING Training Industry Inc, a US-based analyst, has announced its annual "Top 20 Companies in the Training Outsourcing Industry". Selection is based on several criteria linked to the companies' experience and capability in servicing training business process outsourcing (BPO) engagements. This year's Top 20 included two UK-based players – Logica and KnowledgePool – and three US corporations with substantial UK training businesses: Global Knowledge, RWD Technologies and IBM Learning Solutions. “The Top 20 companies reported total revenues for training BPO services of approximately $1.6 billion”, said Doug Harward, CEO of Training Industry, Inc. “This represents revenue growth of 18% in learning BPO services from 2006 to 2007 for our Top 20 companies. For 2008, they are projecting an additional 16% increase in revenues. This continued strong growth in the training BPO industry is an indicator that outsourced learning services is maturing and becoming the preferred business strategy for many organisations." [IT Skills Research comment: these growth rates may apply in the US, but we do not believe the market for managed services in the UK is growing at anywhere near this rate.] Aug 2008
GLOBAL STANDARDS FOR IT PROFESSIONALS The International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) is aiming to build an IT profession of international standing. Its International Professional Practice Partnership (IP3) is a global programme to promote professionalism in IT, define international standards and create a global infrastructure that will encourage and support the development of both practitioners and employer organisations. Recognition will be given to those who meet and maintain the required standards for knowledge, experience, competence and integrity. The first IP3 Certification will be the “gold standard” International IT Professional - IITP. IITP will be available through accredited IFIP member societies who have a professional qualification – including the BCS, which is co-sponsoring the programme. Aug 2008
VIRTUAL TRAINER MODULE FOR COMPTIA CTT+
CompTIA is to expand its CTT+ certification to include a module for virtual classroom trainers. The new online trainer module will allow instructors and trainers to prove their ability to train effectively in a virtual classroom environment using online collaboration tools such as Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro, Elluminate, Microsoft NetMeeting, and others. Candidates will now have the option to be certified as a Classroom Trainer or Virtual Classroom Trainer. Those seeking the Virtual Classroom Trainer designation will combine the existing computer-based exam with a recorded online training session assessment. Aug 2008
GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE WELCOMES CCNA CONCENTRATIONS Global Knowledge has welcomed the expansion of the Cisco CCNA certification programme announced by Cisco. It says the introduction of three new entry level technology-based CCNA ‘Concentrations’ is seen as an ideal stepping stone for those delegates not able to make the full commitment that a professional level certification requires. The new CCNA Wireless, CCNA Voice and CCNA Security certifications build on the core CCNA skills and provide a path for individuals wishing to specialise in a job role in one of these areas. Global Knowledge says the new CCNA Concentration courses and qualifications are exactly what organisations are looking for. It has already started offering courses for the respective Concentrations. Aug 2008
MANAGED SERVICES FROM REMARC– WITHOUT BOOKING FEES Remarc Technologies has formed Remarc Managed Services division to help organisations source all their IT training through a single contact point. The division will source training from accredited partners for its customers – in technologies such as Cisco, HP, IBM, ISEB Business Analysis, Juniper, VMware and vendor neutral security such as Ethical Hacking – without charging any booking or service fees. The new division is headed by Owen Mills. Remarc was formed in 1995 and delivers public scheduled training events in its training centres in Leeds & Manchester as well as on partner sites in London & Telford. Aug 2008
SECTOR SKILLS COUNCILS RELICENSING
The UK's 25 Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) – including e-skills UK – are preparing to be relicensed after the UK Commission for Employment and Skills released details of how the relicensing process will work. The Commission says SSCs must be of the very highest calibre, engaging with employers in their sector and articulating their needs clearly, and that the relicensing process is designed to ensure exactly that. Work will be carried out by independent third-party assessors, and every SSC is expected to have gone through the process by the end of next year. Aug 2008
TOOLWIRE SELECTED BY CITRIX FOR VIRTUAL HANDS-ON TRAINING Citrix Systems has chosen experiential distance learning specialist Toolwire to deliver an on-demand and scheduled lab environment to train Citrix worldwide channel partners and customers on its application networking products. Following the successful implementation last year of a virtual, hands-on training solution to support its Citrix XenServer product (which has supported 39,000 accesses with more than 17,000 hours of usage in the first 6 months of rollout), Citrix again looked to Toolwire to enhance the Citrix training experience. The program uses Toolwire's unique Enterprise Live Labs OnDemand (ELO) solution, allowing each user to access physical appliances for hands-on labs. The training can be delivered in a classroom setting or in a virtual distance delivery model. In addition a Sandbox Environment is made available for users to return to after completion of the course, allowing them to gain additional hands-on experience to refresh, reinforce, explore and practise critical product features. Aug 2008
FRANKLINCOVEY COURSES FROM QA-IQ QA-IQ has announced a new relationship in the UK with FranklinCovey, a global leader in effectiveness training. The first workshops available are '7 Habits of Highly Effective People' (3 days), based on Stephen Covey's influential bestseller; '7 Habits for Managers' (2 days) providing an application-oriented development process for anyone whose role involves managing and leading people; and 'Leadership: Great Leaders, Great Teams, Great Results' (3 days) for those keen to grow their leadership skills. Aug 2008
GOVERNMENT PLAN TO IMPROVE DATA SECURITY
Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell has published a review of information security in government, putting in place a new framework for the future to improve the rules, culture, accountability and scrutiny of data handling. The review, which was commissioned by the Prime Minister, lists a number of new measures including a requirement that all civil servants dealing with personal data are to undergo mandatory annual training. Details of the training are not specified, but the government says 90,000 employees at HMRC have already been given additional security training. Aug 2008
IT TEACHER APPLICATIONS CONTINUE TO DECLINE
Amidst the growing alarm about alleged skills shortages in IT, the number of students applying to start postgraduate teacher training courses in IT this year continues to slide. The latest stats from the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR) show that as of June 2008, a total of 508 men and 273 women had applied to do an IT PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) in the UK, compared to 619 men and 333 women by June 2007 – a decline of 17%. According to the GTTR, student numbers to all teacher training courses are down, with the total number of applications 8% lower than this time last year. (Reported by silicon.com)Aug 2008
NEW CEO FOR COMPTIA The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) has announced that Todd Thibodeaux will become its next president and chief executive officer. He succeeds John Venator, who has led CompTIA since 1989. Thibodeaux has spent the last 17 years with the Consumer Electronics Association, most recently as its senior vice president of industry relations. Aug 2008
CM GROUP LAUNCHES LUMINOSITY Learning content and consultancy specialist CM Group has launched Luminosity, a new web-based rapid development eLearning platform. Luminosity enables the author to work either online or offline and to publish the content to users via websites, via a SCORM compliant LMS, to SharePoint or to other intranet sites, or to a mobile device. Once published, the content can be updated and re-published in minutes. Aug 2008
E-SKILLS UK MERGES IT AND TELECOMS FRAMEWORKS
e-skills UK has issued a new Apprenticeship framework - the 'IT and Telecoms Professionals' framework (code 360). The new framework combines and replaces the previous 'IT Services and Development' and 'Communication Technologies (Telecoms)' frameworks for England and Wales. This new framework aims to better meet employers' needs in the context of a converging IT and Telecoms industry, and offers the flexibility to combine qualifications across the two, previously distinct, framework areas. Aug 2008
REDTRAY E-LEARNING WINS PHARMACISTS IT AWARD Kerry Watts, lead nurse for medicines management at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, has received a Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists IT Award for an e-learning package developed by blended learning specialist Redtray. The package delivers mandatory medicines management training, and can accommodate a wide range of participants from doctors and nurses through to healthcare assistants and porters. It helps the user to identify the modules that are appropriate for them and they are only assessed on those modules at the end of the programme. To date over 700 staff have taken part, and feedback is said to have been “overwhelmingly positive”. Aug 2008
KINEO LAUNCHES OPEN SOURCE SERVICES COMPANY Kineo has launched a new open source services company, Kineo Open Source, which will offer all the most popular open source solutions for website development, customer relationship management and learning including SugarCRM, Moodle and Joomla. It has appoint Mark Aberdour, who has extensive experience in open source software, as Chief Executive. Kineo says that in the coming months it will issue a wide range of free resources and guides for those considering open source solutions. Aug 2008
SITA USES GLOBAL LEARNING ALLIANCE ANALYTICS SITA,
a leading European environmental and waste services business, is using Global Learning Alliance's (GLA’s) learning analytics service to measure the performance of its career development and literacy training programme. The programme was launched in 2006, and SITA invited GLA to provide learning analytics services to determine the programme's value and to ensure effective learning management decision making. GLA created a learning balanced scorecard using its 'Line of Sight' wizard to establish the expected value and alignment of the programme with targets, and conducted a Job Impact Study to determine the training program's actual impact. Results are used to establish exactly where future L&D investments would have the highest impact and alignment with what the business needs to achieve. Aug 2008
TRAINER1 OFFERS LATEST MOBILE LEARNING TECHNOLOGY Trainer1, the e-learning specialist which is the UK’s only authorised training centre and re-seller for SumTotal Systems’ authoring tool ToolBook, has revealed that ToolBook 9.5 is to be released shortly. New features include an in-built PowerPoint importer and an action script code builder that allows users to build their own actions. ToolBook 9.5 will also allow users to create html content specifically to run on iPhones. Trainer1 has further expanded its portfolio via an agreement to distribute Platte Canyon Multimedia (PCMM)’s products in the UK. These products include Tracker.Net (an LMS) and Plug-in Pro, which extends the functionality of ToolBook. Aug 2008
JULY
2008
XPERTISE TO ACQUIRE PARITY TRAINING Xpertise has agreed, subject to shareholder approval, to acquire Parity Training for a total consideration of £4.775 million. Xpertise Training had revenues of £22.3million in 2007, while Parity Training’s turnover was £18.6million. The combined business will make Xpertise the second largest player in the UK market. It is expected that the deal will be completed at the end of August. There are various technicalities to be dealt with before then: Parity will seek the approval of its shareholders at an EGM, and – because the size of the deal constitutes a reverse takeover under AIM Rules – Xpertise is obliged to re-apply for admission to trading on AIM, as well as seeking the approval of its shareholders.
[This looks like an excellent deal for Xpertise: it is paying 25% of Parity’s 2007 turnover. In the 12 months to December 2007 Parity Training generated an operating profit of £200k, although there will be circa £1.25m of Parity Group recharges that will cease when the deal completes making the purchase price a little over 3 times their 2007 underlying operating profit.] July 2008
EVA BISHOP LEAVES ORACLE Eva Bishop has left Oracle University, where she was Senior Director for the UK, South Africa & Ireland. Her departure follows a major reorganisation, and the appointment of a direct replacement is not expected. July 2008
WORK IN IT? I’D RATHER BE A PLUMBER Further evidence has emerged of declining interest in IT as a career choice. UK IT Training, one of the largest suppliers to the self-funded market, will shortly be saying goodbye to the last of its trainees, having stopped selling IT training in October 2007. The company says response rates to its recruitment advertising had slumped to the point where the business was no longer economic. Meanwhile UK IT Training’s sister companies, providing training for Plumbers and Home Inspectors, go from strength to strength: group turnover in 2007was £27 million. July 2008
SERVICE MANAGEMENT FROM FIRESCOPE Business Service Management (BSM) software specialist FireScope has opened an EMEA office in London, to coincide with the launch of its new configuration management database program. FireScope says it has "revolutionised the market by delivering an innovative BSM solution embracing Web 2.0 to provide a highly functional and easy to use solution". "Changing the approach to business service management will inevitably have an impact on the required skills sets, since the BSM system transforms the way in which business is both done and monitored," commented Bob Little, the well known writer and commentator on HR and learning-related issues. July 2008
BCS SEEKS TRAINER OF THE YEAR In May we reported the launch of the BCS’s annual IT Industry Awards, but noted that its well established IT Trainer of the Year category was not included this year. In fact the BCS has now announced that it is seeking entries for IT Trainer of the Year 2008. The category, sponsored by APM Group, falls under the awards for individual achievement. The deadline for entries is 1 August, and winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on 4 December 2008. July 2008
MANAGERS FALL SHORT ON IT SKILLS e-skills UK has published the latest issue of its ICT Inquiry, reporting on the findings of a nationwide survey of 2,000 employers. This issue focuses on the technology skills of UK management and the skills of new entrants to the ICT workforce. It says there are around 7.1 million managers working in the UK, at least 61% of whom are considered to have IT User skills below the level required by their employers. It was not just their actual IT abilities that were thought lacking however, but also their more general awareness of IT. Members can find more details and download the report in Other Research. July 2008
EPIC ACQUIRED BY ANDREW BRODE e-Learning company Epic has been acquired from Huveaux plc by Andrew Brode, a private investor with extensive corporate and organisational learning and development interests. Brode was Chairman of Financial Training and Key Training in the 1980s, and has developed and managed major companies including Croner, Wolters Kluwer (UK) and IRS Eclipse. He is executive Chairman and major shareholder in RWS Holdings plc, a leading provider of intellectual property support services which he floated on AIM in 2003. Epic, itself previously listed on AIM, was taken private when it was bought by Huveaux in September 2005. Jonathan Satchell who was appointed by Huveaux as Epic's MD in December 2007 will continue as Epic's CEO. July 2008
NEW STRUCTURE FOR ILX – AND PROMOTION FOR KILKELLY At the same time as unveiling its annual results (see Company Results), ILX Group has explained its new organisational structure and announced a senior management appointment. ILX now trades through two divisions: its Best Practice Group provides training in project and service management qualifications such as PRINCE2 and ITIL (via e-learning, instructor-led training and implementation consultancy), while its Corporate Training Group delivers financial training programmes principally for finance professionals. Eddie Kilkelly, who was previously the Best Practice Group’s operations director – and who ILX says has been a key force behind the division's recent success and development – has taken over from Tony Glass as the division's managing director. July 2008
WORLD OF LEARNING AWARDS 2008 Entries have opened for the World of Learning Awards, which “recognise and reward organisations and people who have significantly advanced workplace productivity and performance within the field of learning and development”. The eleven award categories include Learning Organisation of the Year, Learning Provider of the Year and Outstanding Contribution to the Learning Industry. Winners will be announced at a ceremony attended by over 500 guests, at a black tie dinner, during the World of Learning show in Birmingham in November. Entries close on 19 September, and cost £185 per category. July 2008
INTELLEGO ACQUIRES ZENOSIS Intellego has acquired the assets of Zenosis, a publisher of compliance e-learning courseware for the pharmaceutical industry, from the Administrator. The acquisition includes a library of courseware which Intellego says is highly complementary to its existing library of accredited medical education content. Zenosis customers include Merck & Co, Allied Research and Bayer, complementing Intellego's list of pharmaceutical clients which include AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis and Eli Lilly. In 2007 Zenosis generated sales of £342,000 and made a net loss before tax of £165,000. The cost of the acquisition was £50,000 in cash. July 2008
EUROPEAN E-SKILLS 2008 CONFERENCE The challenge of how to implement an e-skills agenda for the 21st Century will be the main topic of the European e-Skills 2008 Conference, Implementing a long term e-skills strategy in Europe, to be held at Cedefop’s conference centre in Thessaloniki, Greece, in October. The conference is jointly organised by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) and the European Commission, in partnership with the e-Skills Industry Leadership Board. It will bring together experts from government, the ICT industry, social partners and academia to discuss best practices and flagship projects and to report on progress so far. July 2008
BCS SLAMS GOVERNMENT ON IT DEGREE FUNDING The British Computer Society (BCS) has sounded a note of alarm over the government's decision to remove funding for second degrees or degree level qualifications in IT. The BCS warns this will deter significant numbers of people from entering an economically vital sector already suffering from a dire skills shortage. The government has confirmed its decision not to designate IT as a subject important to the public interest. This means that anyone with a degree-level qualification in another subject will not qualify for funding to study a computing degree or equivalent course. The government specifically exempts science, technology, engineering and mathematical subjects from the changes, but does not include IT/Computing among that list – despite a critical report on the policy by the House of Commons Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee. July 2008
COMPTIA ANNOUNCES UPDATE PLAN FOR LINUX+ CompTIA has announced it will soon begin the process of updating its CompTIA Linux+ certification, its generic certification that validates the knowledge of individuals with a minimum of 6-12 months of practical Linux experience. The update process will begin with a Job Task Analysis, scheduled for July, which will bring together subject matter experts in Linux to evaluate the job roles and tasks for IT professionals who work with open source operating systems. This information will then be used to update the content of the CompTIA Linux+ certification exam. CompTIA says it has seen increasing demand for open source solutions and Linux skills in many markets and industries – as well as increasing demand for Linux+ certified professionals. July 2008
SAP WARNS: TALENT CRUNCH IN THREE YEARS Software company SAP says it is facing recruitment problems as the skills shortage starts to spread to emerging markets – and that its problems reflect a wider IT talent crunch that is impacting employers across all sectors. A survey of IT executives by the Economist Intelligence Unit, sponsored by SAP, showed two-thirds expected it to become tougher to retain and recruit staff in the coming years. The company says it faces problems finding staff with soft skills at all levels, from graduates through to senior people. It warned that emerging markets in Asia and Latin America are increasing pressure on UK companies even more, with companies there looking for staff in developed markets. (Reported by computerweekly.com) July 2008
WORKERS RIGHT: TIME TO TRAIN...
Details of how up to 22 million workers in England will be able to use a new legal right to request time to train have been outlined by John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Publishing a consultation into how the new right will work, Denham said he expected around 300,000 people a year to receive skills training who otherwise would not as a result of legislation which could be in place by 2010. It is planned that the new entitlement will apply to all employees who have worked for their employer for 26 weeks. Employees' requests could be to undertake accredited programmes leading to a qualification, or for unaccredited training to help them develop a specific skill relevant to their job. In both cases, the only requirement would be that training should help improve business performance and productivity. The Time to Train consultation is open to all employers and employees in England and closes on September 10. July 2008
... BUT CIPD SOUNDS NOTE OF CAUTION Responding to the launch of the consultation by the DIUS on the right for workers to request training (see above), the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) cautiously welcomed the proposal, but warned that employers must be able to decline requests that do not meet business needs. John McGurk, CIPD Skills Adviser, said: “It is important that we do not lose sight of the fact that training is a two-way street. It is of benefit to the learner, but must also contribute to meeting the business needs of the employer. If this test is not met, the employer must be able to decline requests for training.” July 2008
INSIGHTS ON USER SKILLS AT ITQ CONFERENCE More than 300 IT training providers came together at the QEII conference centre in central London to share best practice at e-skills UK's annual ITQ conference in May. The conference explored the impact ITQ can have on business productivity, and provided examples of successful ITQ delivery through a series of workshops and debates. ITQ is a flexible qualification which enables those who use IT to develop the skills most relevant to their particular needs. With support from the LSC, uptake of the ITQ has more than doubled in the past two years, with over 40,000 people starting the qualification in the last 12 months. July 2008
PUTTING EQF INTO PRACTICE Following the recent adoption of the European Qualifications Framework (see Industry News, May 2008), an EQF Implementation Conference has taken place in Brussels, attended by some 230 representatives of national authorities, social partners, industry sectors and stakeholders' organisations. Topics included the role of National Qualifications Frameworks in the implementation of the EQF, how to link national qualifications levels to the European framework, and how to validate non-formal and informal learning. A target date of 2010 has been set for countries to relate their own qualifications systems to the EQF. July 2008
SKILLSOFT EXPANDS IN CHINA AND RUSSIA Further reinforcing its global reach, SkillSoft has negotiated new partnership agreements in China and Russia. In a multi-million dollar agreement, Ambow – China's top provider of e-learning technologies – will become SkillSoft's exclusive distributor to the Chinese business and government markets. The multi-year agreement will provide organisations with localised content and structure in simplified Chinese, and with local support. The second deal will see SkillSoft's Russian library growing from 85 courses to more than 130 over the next 12 months. The courses are being localised in conjunction with SkillSoft's Russian partner, Noviy Disk – the leading developer, producer, publisher and distributor of software and games in the Russian-speaking territories. The courseware is designed to help Russian speakers develop Microsoft Office 2007 desktop skills and build competences in soft business skills such as sales, marketing and communication. July 2008
NEW APPOINTMENTS AT KNOWLEDGEPOOL KnowledgePool has appointed Al Bird to the newly-created role of Learning Consultancy Director. He joins from Accenture, where he was Business Development Director of Accenture Learning, and will work with prospective clients to define the business case for outsourcing aspects of their L&D activity. He also joins KnowledgePool's management team and will oversee the ongoing development of the company's market offering. KnowledgePool has also appointed Mark Swain to its management team. He is an Account Director responsible for building new client relationships in financial services, retail, the public sector, FMCG and business services. July 2008
"BORING" SCHOOL IT CURRICULUM SLAMMED The teaching of IT in secondary schools needs radically overhauling as it is putting kids off a career in technology, leading figures from academia and industry have warned. They say the UK's status as a world class IT nation is being threatened by a skills black hole which is getting bigger ever year as fewer and fewer kids choose to study computing. Professor Lachlan MacKinnon from the University of Abertay, Dundee, has called for a radical overhaul of the curriculum in secondary schools as "boring" ICT classes which focus on Word and Excel are turning teenagers off IT as a career. Deep technical skills are required to support the IT industry proper, which is not the same as learning the basic ICT skills that employees in all industries now need, says MacKinnon. He says the IT industry needs more computing graduates – yet computer science student numbers have declined by around a quarter in the last three years, and the future for UK IT looks "very bleak indeed". (Reported by silicon.com)July 2008
IT SECTOR: BRIGHT FUTURE, BORING WORK A new piece of national research by CRAC: The Career Development Organisation into students' thinking about careers in IT, reveals that the vast majority consider the IT sector to have a bright future with good prospects for highly paid jobs. But the single most important reason for students not wishing to enter the sector was their perception that working in IT would be boring. CRAC says the research showed very few students hold negative perceptions about the IT profession or its people, but over 60% of non-computing students cited boring work as the main reason they would not join the sector. July 2008
LACK OF SKILLS HITS RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION The vast majority of British organisations (86%) are still having trouble filling vacancies in spite of talk of an economic slowdown, according to the CIPD’s annual Recruitment, Retention and Turnover Survey. The findings show that employers place the blame firmly on the UK’s skills gap. UK business is feeling the widespread effects of a ‘skills crunch’: 70% cited a lack of necessary candidate skills as the main reason for recruitment difficulties, and a further 42% reported generally on the insufficient experience of candidates. 75% deem the provision of additional training to allow internal staff to fill posts as the most effective solution to recruitment difficulties. Despite this, fewer than half of respondents use learning and development strategies to address retention. July 2008
STERIA LAUNCHES INTERNATIONAL TRAINING European IT services company Steria has launched the first of four international training and development programmes in India, designed to create a single culture across its global workforce. Twelve of the 58 participants are from the UK, and all expect to gain leadership qualifications at the Steria Academy based in Chennai. The course will largely be conducted online over the next eight months. Steria says the web-based programme allows participants to work from their home countries, but receive the same training as their counterparts in the 15 other countries that the company operates in. Steria acquired UK technology firm Xansa in July 2007. The new group employs more than 19,000 staff, including 5,000 in India. (Reported by personneltoday.com)July 2008
BUSINESS ANALYSIS COMES OF AGE Learning company Matchett and AssistKD, a specialist in business analysis and systems development training and consultancy, have launched their Business Analysis Maturity Model (BAMM) with a training programme to match. The BAMM provides a framework against which business analysts can benchmark their role and skills, and the Development Programme supports the model by combining the technical and personal skills business analysts require to fulfil their roles in a profession that has 'come of age'. Debbie Paul, managing director of AssistKD, says: "Credibility and recognition depend as much on how you behave, as what you know. We therefore set out to establish a framework which reflects both the maturity of the profession and the demands of 21st century organisations". July 2008
NHS BRUSHES UP ON ITIL WITH PINK ELEPHANT NHS IT delivery organisation Sussex Health Informatics Services (HIS) has implemented an extensive ITIL training programme for staff and kept costs down by partnering with the training company – Pink Elephant – to resell places on the courses. Sussex HIS reserves 12 places on the course and Pink Elephant can sell up to four. The first training courses took place last September and Sussex HIS has training booked right up until the end of the year – and there is around a 95% pass rate on the exams at the end of the course. (Reported by silicon.com)July 2008
NHS TRUSTS COLLABORATE ON E-LEARNING WITH REDTRAY In a unique collaboration, seven NHS Trusts across the South East of England have developed new e-learning programmes based on the specific needs of Mental Health care. With content designed by blended learning specialists Redtray, the e-learning courses will enable each participating trust to provide training in key areas of healthcare. The three courses – on Managing Risk, Delivering CPA (Care Programme Approach) and Delivering Equality – are aimed at all relevant Mental Health staff across the trusts with a total of 16,000 potential users. They have been developed so that individual trust logos can be added, or specific data customised within templates to better reflect local needs such as reference to local trust policies. July 2008
KINEO RAPID E-LEARNING FOR C&W Kineo and Cable&Wireless have partnered to create a smart approach to rapid e-learning. In 2007, Cable&Wireless was undergoing a transformation and needed to improve its responsiveness to customers via a new model for e-learning delivery. Cable&Wireless's internal team partnered with Kineo, a leader in rapid e-learning, to develop new ways to address the business requirements. C&W says this approach has helped to transform learning in the company, by delivering more e-learning for less, and it now partners with Kineo to deliver all of its rapid e-learning. July 2008
GLASGOW SELECTS BRIGHTWAVE LEARNING SUITE Glasgow City Council has selected Brightwave to customise and implement a suite of e-learning tools as part of its new 'People Strategy' commitment to Developing and Learning. GOLD, Glasgow's Online Learning Development suite, will enable staff at the Council to create, launch and report on in-house and third party e-learning programmes. The solution, which will be rolled out to over 33,000 employees, includes tracking and management capabilities. Brightwave's suite comprises the BILD authoring/development environment and SCORM compliant Learning Management System, Launch and Track, as well as a 360° feedback tool and Evaluation Centre. July 2008
MOBILE LEARNING TO PREVENT COMPLIANCE FAILURES A major bank's £6.3m fine in 2006, following misconduct in its handling of share trades in two firms, has prompted one of the UK's major financial services institutions to use mobile performance support delivered to its staff's PDAs and BlackBerrys to provide 'nuggets' of regulatory and compliance-based information, as well as key learning points related to data protection. The mobile delivery system is supplied by Giunti Labs, with content authored and developed by Eukleia Training Limited, a specialist provider of compliance training for the financial services sector. The learners' test results – returned by Giunti Labs's mobile learning platform – are then sent to the institution's learning and talent management system, provided by partner Cornerstone OnDemand. July 2008
SKILLSOFT OFFERS HELP TO COMBAT IT BULLIES
In response to a recent survey by the trade union Unite, which revealed that 65% of IT professionals feel bullied at work, SkillSoft is offering complimentary access to three courses designed to help employees tackle bullying, harassment and aggression in the workplace. The courses offer solutions to bullying issues faced by both large and small organisations. They can be accessed online at any time – anonymously and without the need to go through any onerous registration process. Each course is free-of-charge and unabridged, containing three to four hours of instruction. July 2008
SQA WHITE PAPER ON E-ASSESSMENT The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has released a white paper, Innovating Assessment in Scotland, outlining a sustainable model of e-assessment. The SQA has used ContentProducer, a specialist authoring tool from BTL, to develop a bank of over 15,000 e-assessment items from authors across Scotland. The white paper outlines the benefits of e-assessment, both for Scotland and beyond, and could be a valuable resource for any organisation looking to implement e-Assessment on a large scale. For a copy of the white paper, contact us at itsr@pardofox.com. July 2008
The Institute of IT Training is calling for entries to the IT Training Awards 2009 sponsored by the British Computer Society (BCS). The Awards recognise outstanding examples of high standards, best practice, innovation and excellence in IT training. So if you are proud of your achievements and would like to win the recognition you deserve within the IT training profession, submit your entry and put your team in the spotlight at the IT training industry's night of the year. There are 13 award categories, including Training Company of the Year, External Training Project of the Year and Trainer of the Year. A new category this year is the Innovation in Training Services award, introduced to celebrate the most effective implementation of the latest developments in learning technology and techniques in the IT Training industry. Entry is free, and the closing date for entries is 30th September 2008. The awards will be presented at The Dorchester in London, on 5th February 2009. 
NCFE is hosting a one-day conference on Becoming Recognised as an Awarding Body. The event will focus on the government’s decision to extend awarding powers to employers, colleges and training providers to offer their own qualifications in response to Lord Leitch’s recommendations. Leading industry speakers will examine the process of becoming a ‘Recognised Organisation’ and offer solutions to organisations interested in accrediting their own training. The event is on 24 September in London – 
e-skills UK has released another four reports in its IT and Telecoms Insights 2008 series on the key trends, opportunities and challenges facing the UK over the next ten years, and their implications for skills. The four new reports now available are:
Training Industry Inc, a US-based analyst, has announced its annual "Top 20 Companies in the Training Outsourcing Industry". Selection is based on several criteria linked to the companies' experience and capability in servicing training business process outsourcing (BPO) engagements. This year's Top 20 included two UK-based players – Logica and KnowledgePool – and three US corporations with substantial UK training businesses: Global Knowledge, RWD Technologies and IBM Learning Solutions. “The Top 20 companies reported total revenues for training BPO services of approximately $1.6 billion”, said Doug Harward, CEO of Training Industry, Inc. “This represents revenue growth of 18% in learning BPO services from 2006 to 2007 for our Top 20 companies. For 2008, they are projecting an additional 16% increase in revenues. This continued strong growth in the training BPO industry is an indicator that outsourced learning services is maturing and becoming the preferred business strategy for many organisations." [IT Skills Research comment: these growth rates may apply in the US, but we do not believe the market for managed services in the UK is growing at anywhere near this rate.] 
The International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) is aiming to build an IT profession of international standing. Its International Professional Practice Partnership (IP3) is a global programme to promote professionalism in IT, define international standards and create a global infrastructure that will encourage and support the development of both practitioners and employer organisations. Recognition will be given to those who meet and maintain the required standards for knowledge, experience, competence and integrity. The first IP3 Certification will be the “gold standard” International IT Professional - IITP. IITP will be available through accredited IFIP member societies who have a professional qualification – including the BCS, which is co-sponsoring the programme. 
Global Knowledge has welcomed the expansion of the Cisco CCNA certification programme announced by Cisco. It says the introduction of three new entry level technology-based CCNA ‘Concentrations’ is seen as an ideal stepping stone for those delegates not able to make the full commitment that a professional level certification requires. The new CCNA Wireless, CCNA Voice and CCNA Security certifications build on the core CCNA skills and provide a path for individuals wishing to specialise in a job role in one of these areas. Global Knowledge says the new CCNA Concentration courses and qualifications are exactly what organisations are looking for. It has already started offering courses for the respective Concentrations. 
Remarc Technologies has formed Remarc Managed Services division to help organisations source all their IT training through a single contact point. The division will source training from accredited partners for its customers – in technologies such as Cisco, HP, IBM, ISEB Business Analysis, Juniper, VMware and vendor neutral security such as Ethical Hacking – without charging any booking or service fees. The new division is headed by Owen Mills. Remarc was formed in 1995 and delivers public scheduled training events in its training centres in Leeds & Manchester as well as on partner sites in London & Telford. 
Citrix Systems has chosen experiential distance learning specialist Toolwire to deliver an on-demand and scheduled lab environment to train Citrix worldwide channel partners and customers on its application networking products. Following the successful implementation last year of a virtual, hands-on training solution to support its Citrix XenServer product (which has supported 39,000 accesses with more than 17,000 hours of usage in the first 6 months of rollout), Citrix again looked to Toolwire to enhance the Citrix training experience. The program uses Toolwire's unique Enterprise Live Labs OnDemand (ELO) solution, allowing each user to access physical appliances for hands-on labs. The training can be delivered in a classroom setting or in a virtual distance delivery model. In addition a Sandbox Environment is made available for users to return to after completion of the course, allowing them to gain additional hands-on experience to refresh, reinforce, explore and practise critical product features. 
QA-IQ has announced a new relationship in the UK with FranklinCovey, a global leader in effectiveness training. The first workshops available are '7 Habits of Highly Effective People' (3 days), based on Stephen Covey's influential bestseller; '7 Habits for Managers' (2 days) providing an application-oriented development process for anyone whose role involves managing and leading people; and 'Leadership: Great Leaders, Great Teams, Great Results' (3 days) for those keen to grow their leadership skills. 
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) has announced that Todd Thibodeaux will become its next president and chief executive officer. He succeeds John Venator, who has led CompTIA since 1989. Thibodeaux has spent the last 17 years with the Consumer Electronics Association, most recently as its senior vice president of industry relations. 
Learning content and consultancy specialist CM Group has launched Luminosity, a new web-based rapid development eLearning platform. Luminosity enables the author to work either online or offline and to publish the content to users via websites, via a SCORM compliant LMS, to SharePoint or to other intranet sites, or to a mobile device. Once published, the content can be updated and re-published in minutes. 
Kerry Watts, lead nurse for medicines management at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, has received a Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists IT Award for an e-learning package developed by blended learning specialist Redtray. The package delivers mandatory medicines management training, and can accommodate a wide range of participants from doctors and nurses through to healthcare assistants and porters. It helps the user to identify the modules that are appropriate for them and they are only assessed on those modules at the end of the programme. To date over 700 staff have taken part, and feedback is said to have been “overwhelmingly positive”. 
Kineo has launched a new open source services company, Kineo Open Source, which will offer all the most popular open source solutions for website development, customer relationship management and learning including SugarCRM, Moodle and Joomla. It has appoint Mark Aberdour, who has extensive experience in open source software, as Chief Executive. Kineo says that in the coming months it will issue a wide range of free resources and guides for those considering open source solutions. 
SITA,
a leading European environmental and waste services business, is using Global Learning Alliance's (GLA’s) learning analytics service to measure the performance of its career development and literacy training programme. The programme was launched in 2006, and SITA invited GLA to provide learning analytics services to determine the programme's value and to ensure effective learning management decision making. GLA created a learning balanced scorecard using its 'Line of Sight' wizard to establish the expected value and alignment of the programme with targets, and conducted a Job Impact Study to determine the training program's actual impact. Results are used to establish exactly where future L&D investments would have the highest impact and alignment with what the business needs to achieve. 
Trainer1, the e-learning specialist which is the UK’s only authorised training centre and re-seller for SumTotal Systems’ authoring tool ToolBook, has revealed that ToolBook 9.5 is to be released shortly. New features include an in-built PowerPoint importer and an action script code builder that allows users to build their own actions. ToolBook 9.5 will also allow users to create html content specifically to run on iPhones. Trainer1 has further expanded its portfolio via an agreement to distribute Platte Canyon Multimedia (PCMM)’s products in the UK. These products include Tracker.Net (an LMS) and Plug-in Pro, which extends the functionality of ToolBook. 
Xpertise has agreed, subject to shareholder approval, to acquire Parity Training for a total consideration of £4.775 million. Xpertise Training had revenues of £22.3million in 2007, while Parity Training’s turnover was £18.6million. The combined business will make Xpertise the second largest player in the UK market. It is expected that the deal will be completed at the end of August. There are various technicalities to be dealt with before then: Parity will seek the approval of its shareholders at an EGM, and – because the size of the deal constitutes a reverse takeover under AIM Rules – Xpertise is obliged to re-apply for admission to trading on AIM, as well as seeking the approval of its shareholders.
Eva Bishop has left Oracle University, where she was Senior Director for the UK, South Africa & Ireland. Her departure follows a major reorganisation, and the appointment of a direct replacement is not expected. 
Further evidence has emerged of declining interest in IT as a career choice. UK IT Training, one of the largest suppliers to the self-funded market, will shortly be saying goodbye to the last of its trainees, having stopped selling IT training in October 2007. The company says response rates to its recruitment advertising had slumped to the point where the business was no longer economic. Meanwhile UK IT Training’s sister companies, providing training for Plumbers and Home Inspectors, go from strength to strength: group turnover in 2007was £27 million. 
Business Service Management (BSM) software specialist FireScope has opened an EMEA office in London, to coincide with the launch of its new configuration management database program. FireScope says it has "revolutionised the market by delivering an innovative BSM solution embracing Web 2.0 to provide a highly functional and easy to use solution". "Changing the approach to business service management will inevitably have an impact on the required skills sets, since the BSM system transforms the way in which business is both done and monitored," commented Bob Little, the well known writer and commentator on HR and learning-related issues. 
In May we reported the launch of the BCS’s annual IT Industry Awards, but noted that its well established IT Trainer of the Year category was not included this year. In fact the BCS has now announced that it is seeking entries for IT Trainer of the Year 2008. The category, sponsored by APM Group, falls under the awards for individual achievement. The deadline for entries is 1 August, and winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on 4 December 2008. 
e-Learning company Epic has been acquired from Huveaux plc by Andrew Brode, a private investor with extensive corporate and organisational learning and development interests. Brode was Chairman of Financial Training and Key Training in the 1980s, and has developed and managed major companies including Croner, Wolters Kluwer (UK) and IRS Eclipse. He is executive Chairman and major shareholder in RWS Holdings plc, a leading provider of intellectual property support services which he floated on AIM in 2003. Epic, itself previously listed on AIM, was taken private when it was bought by Huveaux in September 2005. Jonathan Satchell who was appointed by Huveaux as Epic's MD in December 2007 will continue as Epic's CEO. 
At the same time as unveiling its annual results (see 
Entries have opened for the World of Learning Awards, which “recognise and reward organisations and people who have significantly advanced workplace productivity and performance within the field of learning and development”. The eleven award categories include Learning Organisation of the Year, Learning Provider of the Year and Outstanding Contribution to the Learning Industry. Winners will be announced at a ceremony attended by over 500 guests, at a black tie dinner, during the World of Learning show in Birmingham in November. Entries close on 19 September, and cost £185 per category. 
Intellego has acquired the assets of Zenosis, a publisher of compliance e-learning courseware for the pharmaceutical industry, from the Administrator. The acquisition includes a library of courseware which Intellego says is highly complementary to its existing library of accredited medical education content. Zenosis customers include Merck & Co, Allied Research and Bayer, complementing Intellego's list of pharmaceutical clients which include AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis and Eli Lilly. In 2007 Zenosis generated sales of £342,000 and made a net loss before tax of £165,000. The cost of the acquisition was £50,000 in cash. 
The challenge of how to implement an e-skills agenda for the 21st Century will be the main topic of the European e-Skills 2008 Conference, Implementing a long term e-skills strategy in Europe, to be held at Cedefop’s conference centre in Thessaloniki, Greece, in October. The conference is jointly organised by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) and the European Commission, in partnership with the e-Skills Industry Leadership Board. It will bring together experts from government, the ICT industry, social partners and academia to discuss best practices and flagship projects and to report on progress so far. 
Software company SAP says it is facing recruitment problems as the skills shortage starts to spread to emerging markets – and that its problems reflect a wider IT talent crunch that is impacting employers across all sectors. A survey of IT executives by the Economist Intelligence Unit, sponsored by SAP, showed two-thirds expected it to become tougher to retain and recruit staff in the coming years. The company says it faces problems finding staff with soft skills at all levels, from graduates through to senior people. It warned that emerging markets in Asia and Latin America are increasing pressure on UK companies even more, with companies there looking for staff in developed markets. (Reported by computerweekly.com) 
Responding to the launch of the consultation by the DIUS on the right for workers to request training (see above), the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) cautiously welcomed the proposal, but warned that employers must be able to decline requests that do not meet business needs. John McGurk, CIPD Skills Adviser, said: “It is important that we do not lose sight of the fact that training is a two-way street. It is of benefit to the learner, but must also contribute to meeting the business needs of the employer. If this test is not met, the employer must be able to decline requests for training.” 
More than 300 IT training providers came together at the QEII conference centre in central London to share best practice at e-skills UK's annual ITQ conference in May. The conference explored the impact ITQ can have on business productivity, and provided examples of successful ITQ delivery through a series of workshops and debates. ITQ is a flexible qualification which enables those who use IT to develop the skills most relevant to their particular needs. With support from the LSC, uptake of the ITQ has more than doubled in the past two years, with over 40,000 people starting the qualification in the last 12 months. 
Following the recent adoption of the European Qualifications Framework (see Industry News, May 2008), an EQF Implementation Conference has taken place in Brussels, attended by some 230 representatives of national authorities, social partners, industry sectors and stakeholders' organisations. Topics included the role of National Qualifications Frameworks in the implementation of the EQF, how to link national qualifications levels to the European framework, and how to validate non-formal and informal learning. A target date of 2010 has been set for countries to relate their own qualifications systems to the EQF. 
Further reinforcing its global reach, SkillSoft has negotiated new partnership agreements in China and Russia. In a multi-million dollar agreement, Ambow – China's top provider of e-learning technologies – will become SkillSoft's exclusive distributor to the Chinese business and government markets. The multi-year agreement will provide organisations with localised content and structure in simplified Chinese, and with local support. The second deal will see SkillSoft's Russian library growing from 85 courses to more than 130 over the next 12 months. The courses are being localised in conjunction with SkillSoft's Russian partner, Noviy Disk – the leading developer, producer, publisher and distributor of software and games in the Russian-speaking territories. The courseware is designed to help Russian speakers develop Microsoft Office 2007 desktop skills and build competences in soft business skills such as sales, marketing and communication. 
KnowledgePool has appointed Al Bird to the newly-created role of Learning Consultancy Director. He joins from Accenture, where he was Business Development Director of Accenture Learning, and will work with prospective clients to define the business case for outsourcing aspects of their L&D activity. He also joins KnowledgePool's management team and will oversee the ongoing development of the company's market offering. KnowledgePool has also appointed Mark Swain to its management team. He is an Account Director responsible for building new client relationships in financial services, retail, the public sector, FMCG and business services. 
The teaching of IT in secondary schools needs radically overhauling as it is putting kids off a career in technology, leading figures from academia and industry have warned. They say the UK's status as a world class IT nation is being threatened by a skills black hole which is getting bigger ever year as fewer and fewer kids choose to study computing. Professor Lachlan MacKinnon from the University of Abertay, Dundee, has called for a radical overhaul of the curriculum in secondary schools as "boring" ICT classes which focus on Word and Excel are turning teenagers off IT as a career. Deep technical skills are required to support the IT industry proper, which is not the same as learning the basic ICT skills that employees in all industries now need, says MacKinnon. He says the IT industry needs more computing graduates – yet computer science student numbers have declined by around a quarter in the last three years, and the future for UK IT looks "very bleak indeed". (Reported by silicon.com) 
A new piece of national research by CRAC: The Career Development Organisation into students' thinking about careers in IT, reveals that the vast majority consider the IT sector to have a bright future with good prospects for highly paid jobs. But the single most important reason for students not wishing to enter the sector was their perception that working in IT would be boring. CRAC says the research showed very few students hold negative perceptions about the IT profession or its people, but over 60% of non-computing students cited boring work as the main reason they would not join the sector. 
The vast majority of British organisations (86%) are still having trouble filling vacancies in spite of talk of an economic slowdown, according to the CIPD’s annual Recruitment, Retention and Turnover Survey. The findings show that employers place the blame firmly on the UK’s skills gap. UK business is feeling the widespread effects of a ‘skills crunch’: 70% cited a lack of necessary candidate skills as the main reason for recruitment difficulties, and a further 42% reported generally on the insufficient experience of candidates. 75% deem the provision of additional training to allow internal staff to fill posts as the most effective solution to recruitment difficulties. Despite this, fewer than half of respondents use learning and development strategies to address retention. 
European IT services company Steria has launched the first of four international training and development programmes in India, designed to create a single culture across its global workforce. Twelve of the 58 participants are from the UK, and all expect to gain leadership qualifications at the Steria Academy based in Chennai. The course will largely be conducted online over the next eight months. Steria says the web-based programme allows participants to work from their home countries, but receive the same training as their counterparts in the 15 other countries that the company operates in. Steria acquired UK technology firm Xansa in July 2007. The new group employs more than 19,000 staff, including 5,000 in India. (Reported by personneltoday.com) 
Learning company Matchett and AssistKD, a specialist in business analysis and systems development training and consultancy, have launched their Business Analysis Maturity Model (BAMM) with a training programme to match. The BAMM provides a framework against which business analysts can benchmark their role and skills, and the Development Programme supports the model by combining the technical and personal skills business analysts require to fulfil their roles in a profession that has 'come of age'. Debbie Paul, managing director of AssistKD, says: "Credibility and recognition depend as much on how you behave, as what you know. We therefore set out to establish a framework which reflects both the maturity of the profession and the demands of 21st century organisations". 
NHS IT delivery organisation Sussex Health Informatics Services (HIS) has implemented an extensive ITIL training programme for staff and kept costs down by partnering with the training company – Pink Elephant – to resell places on the courses. Sussex HIS reserves 12 places on the course and Pink Elephant can sell up to four. The first training courses took place last September and Sussex HIS has training booked right up until the end of the year – and there is around a 95% pass rate on the exams at the end of the course. (Reported by silicon.com) 
In a unique collaboration, seven NHS Trusts across the South East of England have developed new e-learning programmes based on the specific needs of Mental Health care. With content designed by blended learning specialists Redtray, the e-learning courses will enable each participating trust to provide training in key areas of healthcare. The three courses – on Managing Risk, Delivering CPA (Care Programme Approach) and Delivering Equality – are aimed at all relevant Mental Health staff across the trusts with a total of 16,000 potential users. They have been developed so that individual trust logos can be added, or specific data customised within templates to better reflect local needs such as reference to local trust policies. 
Glasgow City Council has selected Brightwave to customise and implement a suite of e-learning tools as part of its new 'People Strategy' commitment to Developing and Learning. GOLD, Glasgow's Online Learning Development suite, will enable staff at the Council to create, launch and report on in-house and third party e-learning programmes. The solution, which will be rolled out to over 33,000 employees, includes tracking and management capabilities. Brightwave's suite comprises the BILD authoring/development environment and SCORM compliant Learning Management System, Launch and Track, as well as a 360° feedback tool and Evaluation Centre. 
A major bank's £6.3m fine in 2006, following misconduct in its handling of share trades in two firms, has prompted one of the UK's major financial services institutions to use mobile performance support delivered to its staff's PDAs and BlackBerrys to provide 'nuggets' of regulatory and compliance-based information, as well as key learning points related to data protection. The mobile delivery system is supplied by Giunti Labs, with content authored and developed by Eukleia Training Limited, a specialist provider of compliance training for the financial services sector. The learners' test results – returned by Giunti Labs's mobile learning platform – are then sent to the institution's learning and talent management system, provided by partner Cornerstone OnDemand. 
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has released a white paper, Innovating Assessment in Scotland, outlining a sustainable model of e-assessment. The SQA has used ContentProducer, a specialist authoring tool from BTL, to develop a bank of over 15,000 e-assessment items from authors across Scotland. The white paper outlines the benefits of e-assessment, both for Scotland and beyond, and could be a valuable resource for any organisation looking to implement e-Assessment on a large scale. For a copy of the white paper, contact us at