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 INVITATION TO SECURITY SKILLS WORKSHOP
Commercial training providers who are active in the Cybersecurity market are invited to participate in a workshop organised by the Information Security Awareness Forum, which brings together the awareness programmes of most of the professional bodies and trade associations relevant to the fight against Internet and computer assisted crime. The aim is to map the current situation, building on a paper produced by EURIM last year to identify the most obvious gaps and to recommend actions accordingly, particularly with regard to skills programmes. The workshop will be held in London on 4 June. To take part, or for more information, e-mail philip.virgo@btconnect.com. May 2008
MARKET SIZE 2007
 IT
Skills Research estimates that the UK IT training market in 2007
was worth £530
million – an increase of 10.5% over 2006. The industry has had a tough
time in recent years, and after peaking at £525 million in 2000, it declined
by almost 30% over the next three years. It has taken a further four years
of steady but unspectacular growth to get back to a similar level – but
when inflation is taken into account, we’re still not back there now.
(These figures relate to the professional IT training industry, which is used
by employers to provide training for their staff. They exclude universities,
colleges, companies selling mainly to private individuals, and providers delivering government-funded
training programmes.) May 2008
NEW TOP 50 COMING SOON
 Our estimate of the UK market size (see above) is generated as a by-product
of our research to produce the new Top 50 IT Training
Companies. The
new Top 50 will be revealed later in May to coincide with publication
of the Spring issue of IT Training magazine, which will feature a special
section on the Top 50. IT Skills Research members will be able to see
the Top 50 on this website first – so keep a look out around
the 20th of the month! May 2008
ADVANCE OF E-LEARNING CONTINUES TO BE OVERSTATED,
SAYS CIPD
Over half of L&D managers (57%) now offer e-learning as part of their
training provision, but there remain continuing doubts about its effectiveness,
according to the CIPD’s Annual Learning and Development Survey.
When asked to list the top three most effective training practices, only
7% of respondents mentioned e-learning. In organisations using e-learning,
only 30% of users are reported as completing courses. The CIPD says the
issues of e-learning are clearly defined: almost all organisations (95%)
agree e-learning is more effective when combined with other forms of
learning, and 92% say it demands a new attitude on the part of the learner.
Martyn Sloman, CIPD learning and development adviser, says: “Businesses
need to remember that technology is there to support people management
and development strategies, not replace them.” May
2008
MICROSOFT BUSINESS
CERTIFICATION PARTNERS REQUIRED
Microsoft has launched its new range of business qualifications – Microsoft
Certified Application Specialist (MCAS) and Microsoft Certified Application
Professional (MCAP) – to replace MOS. The Microsoft Business
Certifications (MSBC) have been designed for power users of Office 2003
and 2007, and aim to increase productivity as well as providing a globally
recognised qualification. Prodigy UK, which manages the MSBC Programme
for Training Providers in the UK, is currently seeking new training companies
to deliver MSBC training and certification courses. Contact
us for
more information. May 2008
XPERTISE
TO DELIVER NEW OFFICE 2007 CERTIFICATIONS
 Xpertise has launched the new Microsoft Business Certification Programme
including brand new qualifications for Office 2007 and Windows Vista – and
is its own first customer. Xpertise is currently rolling out Vista and
Office 2007 internally, so it is providing the full Office 2007 training
programme to almost 150 of its own staff. In addition, its trainers and
many key employees will be taking the new Office certifications. Xpertise
is an official testing centre for the new certifications through Prodigy,
which manages the certification programme in the UK and Ireland (see
above). May 2008
MANAGEMENT QUALIFICATIONS FROM QA-IQ
 QA-IQ has launched a new accredited programme for management development
in partnership with Middlesex University's Institute for Work Based
Learning. Three new qualifications – the QA-IQ Certificate in
Management, Diploma in Management and Advanced Diploma in Management – combine
the flexibility of building knowledge through QA-IQ's 'Art of People'
courses with guided learning in the workplace to embed skills and deliver
hands-on experience. The programme is completed by a work-based assignment,
applying the skills learnt directly to a relevant project. May
2008
IN
SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE – BUT NOT IN TRAINING
The BCS has announced details of its annual IT Industry Awards, which
it says “mark the key contribution made by the IT profession
to economic prosperity, to business efficiency and to our public services”.
However, the IT Trainer of the Year category has been withdrawn this
year – so there will be no opportunity for recognition for this
important sector. [This seems an odd decision, given the BCS’s
apparent focus on IT training: it is now the publisher of IT Training
magazine, is an awarding body and last year set
up an Information and Technology Training Specialist Group.] May
2008
IT
AND TELECOMS INSIGHTS FROM E-SKILLS UK
e-skills UK has released three reports in the IT
and Telecoms Insights 2008 series on key trends over the next ten years and their implications
for skills. Following the initial report published in January, the
three reports now available are: Trends and UK Skills
Implications,
which provides a vision of the future based on the predictions of leading
global industry analysts; Employment Forecasts – a 10-year analysis
and forecast of IT and telecoms employment trends across the UK, which
also looks at the need for IT and telecoms skills in the shorter term
from 2007 to 2010; and Staff Training in the UK, investigating the
incidence and nature of training and development among the IT and telecoms
workforce. The reports are available at www.e-skills.com/insights08/indepth.
IT Skills Research members can find more details at Other Research. May
2008
WHEN
WILL THEY EVER LEARN?
An interesting nugget among the many fascinating and revealing figures
in the introductory report in the IT and Telecoms Insights series (see
above): researchers found that 92% of the employers who don’t
provide training believed the lack of training had an effect on their
business – for example, 43% believed it had a negative effect
on product or service development, while 31% believed it was detrimental
to productivity. But they still don’t do training! May
2008
EUROPEAN QUALIFICATIONS
FRAMEWORK IS HERE
 The European Parliament has formally adopted the European
Qualifications Framework (EQF). This is a framework for qualifications obtained in
all sectors of education, including general education, higher education
and vocational training. It has eight reference levels of qualifications,
from those obtained at the end of compulsory education (level 1) to
the highest (level 8: doctorate or equivalent). The framework will
relate different countries' qualifications systems and frameworks,
to make qualifications more understandable to employers, individuals
and institutions, so that workers and learners can use their qualifications
in other countries. A target date of 2010 has been set for countries
to relate their qualifications systems to the EQF. From 2012, all new
qualifications should bear a reference to the EQF. May
2008
PEARSON VUE WINS CONTRACT
WITH ROYAL COLLEGES OF PHYSICIANS
 Pearson VUE has won a three-year contract with the Federation of Royal
Colleges of Physicians of the UK to deliver the Federation's new Specialty
Knowledge Based Assessments (KBAs) as computer-based tests (CBTs).
These will be delivered throughout the UK, as well as overseas in centres
such as Dubai, Egypt, Hong Kong and Singapore. They will be the first
CBTs used by the Federation – all other tests are currently paper-based – and
they will be a compulsory component of assessment for the Certificate
of Completion of Training (CCT), which ensures that a doctor has sufficient
knowledge of their specialty to practise safely and competently as
a consultant. May 2008
ELEMENT K PARTNERS WITH SUN MICROSYSTEMS
Element K and Sun Microsystems have announced a partnership under which
Element K will distribute Sun Authorized e-learning courses and certification
bundles. These will provide full coverage of Sun’s programming
for operating system, server and disk storage areas ranging from Java
and Solaris OS, to Sun Fire, Sun Blade and Sun StorEdge hardware. Sun
and Element K are also developing additional certification packages
that will include authorized e-learning courses, certification practice
exams, and a voucher for a Sun certification exam. May
2008
ONE MILLION CISCO CERTIFICATIONS
 At its recent Partner Summit in Hawaii, Cisco announced it had reached
a major milestone, having now issued more than one million certifications
to networking professionals, including nearly 20,000 Cisco CCIE expert-level
credentials. By way of comparison, it is reported that Microsoft has
issued over 2,250,000 certifications (including about 800,000 MCSEs),
and CompTIA has awarded more than one million of its certifications. May
2008
DEMOS
ACQUIRES HEMSLEY FRASER
 Demos, a leading French vocational training company, has acquired Hemsley
Fraser Group, one of the UK's leading learning providers. Hemsley Fraser
was founded in 1991 by Iain Lovett, and combines open training courses
(40% of revenue) and learning solutions including customised training
and managed services (60% of revenue). The company has 140 employees,
supported by a network of 400 expert contributors, has a growing subsidiary
in the US, and boasts a number of partnerships in several areas of
the world including the Middle East, India and Japan. In 2007 Hemsley
Fraser generated revenues of around £11 million in the United
Kingdom and $1.5 million in the United States. Demos says this transaction
will allow it to accelerate its development outside France, and will
further enrich its offer within the areas of strategic learning consultancy,
managed services and learning outsourcing. May 2008
INTELLEGO ACQUISITION
Intellego, an AIM listed e-learning and compliance courseware solutions
business, has acquired The Professional Development Partnership Ltd
(PDPL), a training company specialising in financial services, for £150,000
in cash and shares. In 2007 PDPL generated sales of £289,438
with a net profit before tax of £1,092, and its balance sheet
shows net liabilities of £7,700. May 2008
CB LEARNING LAUNCHES MICROSOFT ONLINE
LEARNING
CB Learning – the learning arm of Computer Bookshops and an official
provider of Microsoft Online Learning – has unveiled its new Learning
Management System. This secure online service provides access to Official
Microsoft Online Learning courses and allows users to manage their employees’ training
and track their progress. May 2008
XPERTISE LAUNCHES INTENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES
Xpertise has launched a new range of intensive development programmes
which, it says,
include all the core skills essential for an individual to become a valued
contributor to any business. Xpertise worked with customers to understand
the key skills issues they have and the types of skills they would like
their team members to develop in order to become more effective contributors
at a personal, team, management and organisational level. The result
is a set of intensive soft skills training programmes that focus on customer
service, personal effectiveness, graduate development, and soft skills
for IT professionals and IT managers. In each programme there are initial
modules which provide core learning, with additional modules for those
who wish to progress further. May 2008
THIRDFORCE LAUNCHES MINDLEADERS BRAND IN UK
 ThirdForce is launching a range of new e-learning products on IT professional
and business skills under the Mindleaders brand. The products result
from ThirdForce’s $18 million acquisition last year of Mindleaders
Inc, and widen the company’s existing portfolio of ICT courseware
and testing and other vocational resources. Mindleaders already had
a significant IT professional portfolio, including courses on Java,
XML, SQL Server, Cisco, Linux, UNIX and Visual Basic. May
2008
LEARNING TECHNOLOGY
ATTRACTS VENTURE CAPITAL
A new US study by Ambient Insight on private investment trends in the
learning technology industry says capital is flowing in at the highest
rate since the last recession. Ambient says funding in 2007 was the
highest since 2001, and [more surprisingly] that funding in the first
quarter of 2008 reached 64% of the 2007 total and already exceeds investments
made in the entire year of 2006. It says investment in learning companies
peaked in 2000 at over $900 million, but declined rapidly after that
to bottom out in 2004 before turning up again in 2005. Investment in
self-paced e-learning products designed for the corporate market dominated
between 1999 and 2003, but now digital reference-ware, collaboration-based
learning, social network-based learning and learning services firms
are attracting the largest investments. The findings come from Ambient
Insight’s report Private Investment Trends in the US Learning
Technology Industry. May 2008
CBI FINDS SKILLS GAPS
 The CBI has published the CBI/Edexcel Education & Skills Survey
2008,
a new audit of the nation’s skills. The report say employers have
concerns not only about employees' basic literacy and numeracy skills,
but also their weak IT skills, with over half (56%) concerned about the
ability of existing employees to use computers. They believe the skills
of people already in the workplace are not keeping pace with the rapid
development of technology, even though 69% of firms claim
they are investing in training to raise IT skills of existing staff. May
2008
NEW COMMISSION
FOR SKILLS POLICY
A new Commission, which aims to put employers at the centre of employment
and skills policy development across the UK, has opened for business.
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) will supersede
two government agencies – the Sector Skills Development Agency
and the National Employment Panel. UKCES, whose creation was recommended
by the Leitch Report in 2006, will provide advice to Ministers; develop
an independent view of how successful and well integrated existing
employment and skills systems are; and will also fund and manage the
performance and re-licensing of the 25 employer-led Sector Skills Councils
including e-skills UK. UKCES has already been asked to report on several
issues, including whether a statutory entitlement to training is appropriate
and whether further institutional change is required to deliver better
integrated employment and skills services. May 2008
CONSULTATION TO STRENGTHEN HIGH
LEVEL SKILLS
A consultation to build stronger and more flexible links between business
and universities has been launched by Minister of State for Higher
Education, Bill Rammell. The High Level Skills consultation will seek
views from employers, students, colleges and universities on how to
raise the skills of those already in work and ensure graduates are
equipped with the knowledge and abilities that businesses need to compete
globally. DIUS says the consultation, which runs until 7 July, will
be used to set out the Government's vision for increasing employer
engagement in higher education. May 2008
£60
MILLION FOR ADULT SKILLS
Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling announced an extra £60
million of funding for adult education and skills in the Budget. The
funding is to go towards expanding the number of apprenticeship places
on offer. A further £12.5 million was announced with the aim of
encouraging women entrepreneurs. (Reported by LSC
Research Newsletter) May
2008
MtM
CLOSER TO HOME
 Learning analytics specialist KnowledgeAdvisors has opened a UK office
to provide comprehensive support and customer services for its Metrics
that Matter product set. At the same time Global Learning Alliance
has created three new staff positions to strengthen its range of learning
analytics consultancy and implementation services. Global Learning
Alliance and KnowledgeAdvisors work together on joint projects implementing
Metrics that Matter in corporate learning organisations and commercial
learning provider businesses. May 2008
RED HAT OPEN SOURCE FORUM
Red Hat has announced its first Open Source Forum, an event featuring
partners and customers “to educate IT professionals on the benefits
provided by open source solutions”. The event will take place
on 14 May in London. It will include presentations covering trends
in open source adoption in the UK, and will also feature technical
and business break-out sessions delivered by end-user enterprises who
use open source solutions. May 2008
FUJITSU MTS SAVES 26%
 KnowledgePool says Fujitsu Services, a leading IT services companies,
has saved an average of 26 per cent off the retail prices of its IT,
management and personal development training courses after signing
a managed training services agreement with KnowledgePool. KnowledgePool’s
online catalogue was used last year by over 5,000 Fujitsu employees
to book more than 12,000 days of training. May 2008
INFORMATION
TRANSFER’S
FOUNDING PARTNER RETIRES
Dr Ralph Rickards, one of the founders of Information Transfer, is retiring
after 26 years primarily spent developing the company’s work
for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. He attributes the company’s
longevity and success to its culture: “Right from the start we
decided to create a business where everyone shares responsibility and
rewards; where opinions are respected and ambitions can be realised;
where staff are trusted and independent, yet can enjoy the advantages
of a supportive group”. Information Transfer now has 12 consultants,
each with different areas of expertise, and 14 support staff. May
2008
COURSE-SOURCE
APPOINTS DIRECTOR
e-Learning specialist Course-Source has appointed Paul Higgins to the
new role of Director of Sales and Marketing, and is expecting to grow
its business by 30% over the next year. Higgins has been involved in
the education and training industry for the last 10 years and has worked
previously with Wimba UK, Blackboard Inc and Serco Group. Course-Source
provides an award-winning hosted Learning Management System and e-learning
content, and won a 2006 National Training Award for its work within
the NHS. May 2008
CORNERSTONE SUBSCRIBERS PASS ONE
MILLION
 Cornerstone OnDemand, the provider of learning and talent management
software and services, has surpassed one million active subscribers for
its integrated suite in 141 countries around the world. Cornerstone
recently announced the availability of 24x7 global support as well as
localisation into 13 languages and support for currency conversion. It
was also named as one of three top global talent management suite providers
in a study by Bersin & Associates. May 2008
BRIGHTWAVE SELECTED FOR UNILEVER
E-LEARNING
Brightwave has been commissioned by Unilever to create two new e-learning
programmes, on Open Innovation and Awareness, for its global Research
and Development Academy. The programmes are designed to meet the needs
of a global audience that varies in roles and experience. The learning
will be delivered via Unilever's intranet at each learner's workstation,
and the courses (which have mandatory assessments) will be tracked
using Unilever's Learning Management System. May 2008
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