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City & Guilds Kineo lays out its stall


Following the acquisition of Kineo by City & Guilds in December 2012, the merged company has made a number of announcements in a bid to consolidate its place as the dominant player in the workplace learning space.


A further acquisition – possibly overseas – is expected in the final quarter of 2013 with more on the cards for 2014. C&G Kineo is already a £20m business and the deals are expected to take turnover to £30m for its financial year, which starts on 1 September. The company is also launching an Elearning


Apprenticeship Academy in the UK, with e-learning qualifications mapped to national standards. As well as launching its new brand and promising a website in the next few weeks, the company is planning to offer an Apprenticeship+ programme for employers.


Sales and profits


boom at Kallidus Kallidus is claiming another financially successful year. The Cirencester-based company said annual sales were up 28% and new clients had been added to its portfolio. For the financial year ended


Caul: client delight


June 2013 profits grew for the ninth consecutive year, with revenue rising by 19% on 2012 figures. Three core business areas – learning and talent


solutions, content development and consultancy – performed well, and new clients included Mitie, Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, Ecclesiastical and AA Driving School. Rob Caul, Kallidus CEO, said: “In the autumn we successfully rebranded from e2train, helping us to sharpen our competitive edge and embed ‘delighting the customer’ into all aspects of the business. We are continuing to invest heavily in sales and product development. The new financial year is off to a good start with our focus firmly on increasing revenues across core areas of business.” The company achieved Investors in People (IiP) accreditation in April 2013, and is promising a product launch later this year.


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UK’s first MOOC opens its doors


The first UK-led provider of MOOCs (massive open online courses) opened in mid-September. The company, FutureLearn, said that social interaction is central to the MOOC experience, enabling people to learn actively by engaging in conversations around the learning material or vicariously by following discussions. FutureLearn’s MOOCs are designed to work on smartphones, tablets and desktop computers so that learners have the same experience regardless of screen size. The company’s MOOC platform is also branded FutureLearn.


Universities and science minister David Willetts


said: “The launch of FutureLearn is an exciting development for UK learning. MOOCs provide the opportunity to widen access to our world-class universities and to meet the global demand for higher education. FutureLearn has the potential to revolutionise conventional models of formal education. I encourage all our institutions to explore the opportunities offered by new modes of technology such as MOOCs to keep the UK ahead in the global race to deliver education in worldwide markets.” FutureLearn is wholly owned by the Open University and has launched its MOOCs as an open


beta programme that will run until early 2014. Learners will be able to sign up for a selection of courses from its university partners, with learner feedback used to inform the ongoing development of the website.


Willetts: exciting development for learning


Simon Nelson, CEO of FutureLearn, said: “We wanted to make


FutureLearn a fresh, different and enjoyable user experience. We have designed the website in line with principles of effective learning, such as storytelling, discussions and celebrating progress. We decided to go live with FutureLearn now in an open testing phase so that we can remain responsive to learners as we continue to develop the website.” So far learners from 165 countries have registered


an interest. Martin Bean, vice-chancellor of the Open


University, said: “Time and again we have seen the disruptive impact the internet can have on industries, driving innovation and enhancing the customer experience. I have no doubt MOOCs will do the same for education, offering people new and exciting ways to learn. This is why we took the initiative to join forces with a range of university and cultural partners to create FutureLearn.”


Skillsoft targets ethics training


An e-learning package designed to provide a foundation-level code of conduct and ethics training in a customisable format is being produced by Skillsoft. The Global Code of Conduct e-learning solution should help employees understand the risks associated with a spectrum of compliance issues and how to address them. The material covers compliance risk areas such as anti-bribery, anti-trust, privacy and information security, insider trading, conflicts of interest, preventing harassment, social media and electronic communications, and protection of company information. The company said more risk areas will be added in 2014.


Administrative features include an annual


reconfiguration process to keep content relevant as the organisation grows, trackable sign-off by each employee to ensure completion, and the ability to incorporate references to the employer’s policies and other resources. Charlie Voelker, legal compliance solution


manager at Skillsoft, said: “Educating employees on a company’s code of conduct is essential for avoiding legal violations and reducing the company’s exposure to risk. To meet that need, organisations must provide effective, relevant training content that keeps pace with the continually changing legal landscape.”


e.learning age october 2013


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