UK e-learning is 'most popular in Europe'
10/18/2011
Britain has the highest demand for online learning in the whole of Europe, according to one online resource. The e-learningcentre.co.uk, an information provider for those interested in learning online and members of the industry, suggested that the popularity of the UK's e-learning sector tops the market elsewhere in Europe due to the easy, flexible and independent nature of education on offer.
David Patterson, director and consultant with e-learningcentre.co.uk, said: "After the dot-com bubble burst of 2000, the last decade has seen quite remarkable growth in e-learning, it must be the 'after the hype' effect.
"We observe the switch in training spend from face-to-face to e-learning principally to save money, therefore we can confidently conclude that e-learning is growing in popularity with companies and we would add equally importantly with learners."
According to figures from the information website, the UK has the largest e-learning industry in the EU, with more than 400 companies specialising in e-learning for the corporate market alone.
Mr Patterson added that the UK sees new e-learning providers being established regularly, as well as new technologies being incorporated into existing methods of teaching in the virtual classroom.
He mentioned that usage levels among adult learners are steadily increasing as well as the demand for more businesses taking up e-learning strategies for their training schemes.
E-learning is the only part of the corporate training market that is growing rapidly, according to Mr Patterson.
He suggested that this is in line with a 17 per cent decline in the need for external training staff and also shows the nature of tight budgets now experienced by many people in professional industries. The overall spend on "human" training has been down since 2008.
A range of businesses and sectors can benefit from online learning, according to the International E-Learning Association (IELA).
A spokesperson from the association, which was founded in 2007 to promote e-learning, suggests that there are distinguished and significant benefits of education through a virtual platform. Improving skills and learning new qualifications are just the beginning of the positive outcomes when venturing into online learning, according to the IELA.
