London/Sheffield (UK), October 2012 - Many commentators and analysts agree that the training industry has been changing increasingly over the last few years. Among other things, organisations are turning to blended learning - a mixture of instructor-delivered and technology-delivered learning - to make training solutions more effective, affordable, and sustainable. In particular, the growth in "mobile technology" is increasingly prompting mobile learning materials to be added to the "traditional" blended-learning mix.
Responding to these trends, Accipio eLearning - part of Accipio Consulting, the London-based organisational development specialist - is hosting a free event to share insights on how training companies can build an eLearning market presence. The event focuses on why and how training companies need to supplement traditional face-to-face delivery methods to survive and gain competitive advantage.
The event is being held at the London Headrooms - a meeting space in Clerkenwell, London, that is officially described as "funky" - on 11 October from 5:30pm.
Sascha Benson-Cooper, a director of Accipio Consulting, commented, "Although eLearning has been around for many years, it's not yet found mainstream acceptance - perhaps because of its cost, or because it's not been understood, or even because people have been confident with more traditional forms of learning transfer."
-œBut the world is changing, and research continues to show that blended learning is increasingly effective as a learning strategy. Moreover, we're now seeing companies putting out tenders not just for learning programmes but for sustainable learning programmes - and this suggests that they need technology-enabled learning platforms.
"While, traditionally, learning-management systems (LMSs) have been expensive, their costs are continuing to fall rapidly - making them affordable and usable. These are just some of the issues that we'll be exploring at the event on 11 October."
In addition to Accipio's Andrew Hargreaves - who will reveal insights into how training companies need to adapt for the digital world - the other speaker at the event is David Patterson, operations director of Learning Light, the Sheffield-based organisation that focuses on promoting the use of eLearning and learning technologies.
His presentation - on "How Learning and Development Attitudes Are Changing" - will, among other things, mention the preliminary results from Learning Light's recent survey of nearly 100 learning and development professionals.
"This research forms part of the extensive research that Learning Light has been carrying out in the learning-technologies markets in the UK, Europe, and, indeed, China," Patterson said. "Incidentally, the Chinese market for eLearning is currently seen as a major opportunity for Western companies involved in the development and distribution of eLearning content and systems."
"At the event at the London Headrooms, I'll be outlining some of the trends that the eLearning market is experiencing - both in the UK and globally," he explained. "Of course, the key to success for eLearning developers and distributors is to respond to these trends and harness them effectively. This, too, is on the agenda for 11 October."
