Working in partnership with the northwest region of national housing provider Accent Group Ltd, the Housing e-Academy delivered online training designed to equip a group of tenants in Burnley with new skills to help them improve both the quality of their lives and employment prospects.

Ten Accent tenants who volunteered to participate in the pilot project were given free Internet access at local community centres and housing offices to three online courses - Fire Safety, Introduction to Health & Safety, and Manual Handling. They have now been presented with certificates after successfully completing the courses. Resident Imran Mushtaq, a member of the pilot group, said, "The eLearning modules were very easy to do and could also be completed very quickly. I am convinced the courses will help me find a new, better job".

Emma Chadwick, Work-Based-Learning Manager with Accent Community Partnerships, commented, "Feedback from residents about the pilot programme has been extremely positive, and we have now secured funding to deliver eLearning to another 300 Accent residents. Burnley will again take the lead, though the programme will now be rolled out to our tenants nationwide."

Chloe Weatherhead, Manager of the Housing e-Academy, based in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, said, "Accent has already enjoyed huge success through the adoption of eLearning by its own staff. The follow-up tenant-training project reinforces the organisation's commitment to harnessing the latest technology and developing the potential of online learning."

"Engaging tenants in this way is both innovative and pioneering, and I was very impressed by the enthusiasm of the pilot group. All those involved said they were open to future training opportunities through eLearning in order to boost their prospects."

Representatives from Accent Group will be talking about their experiences of tenant training at a free "e-Enabling Tenant Engagement" event being run for housing providers by the Housing e-Academy in Bradford on Tuesday, 26 May. The future of tenant training in general is also on the agenda. Places can be booked through Chloe Weatherhead on +44-(0)1943 605976, e-mail: info@housingea.co.uk.