Ethos Public Relations Manchester

Yorkshire based Virtual College continues to thrive

by Ethos public relations

Yorkshire based online training pioneer Virtual College is celebrating 15 years in business with news that turnover has hit £3.5m a year as the total number of registered e-learners across the Virtual College exceeds 350,000 for the first time.

Operations director Lesley Ord said: “The number of registered e-learners is growing at an average rate of around 3,000 per month so that our customer base now stands at 360,000. This increase reflects Virtual College’s ability to meet the changing demands of our various clients, to respond quickly to economic pressure and to continue to develop new products for the e-learning industry. ”

The Virtual College was established in IIkley by Chairman Bob Gomersall, who when he was Head of Physics at Bradford Grammar School, saw how he could dramatically improve training through the use of technology. “We set up Virtual College because we couldn’t find training providers who would adopt the use of new technology,” he said.  “It was a case of doing it yourself because nobody else would!”

As more businesses focus on the benefits of personal development, with managers tracking the progress of individual employees, the Virtual College has developed a branded learning system known as E?nable which is used by large and small organisations seeking to provide their staff with e-learning material for induction, mandatory and refresher training. It is also a valuable resource for training and human resources staff to track learner records, manage training needs analysis, appraisals and e-portfolios.

In addition, Virtual College has harnessed specific markets by evolving a portfolio of e-Academies in  the housing, healthcare, safeguarding children, food and drink, and trades sectors – and together offer over 100 online courses.

Virtual College now has a 63-strong workforce and ten freelance consultants. Chief Executive Rod Knox said: “Despite the current economic climate, we continue to thrive, as individuals, businesses and organisations across both the public and private sectors seek to access innovative, flexible and cost-effective training solutions.

“E-learning is an increasingly popular and proven route to traditional face-to-face training. Geographical restrictions are removed and learners can access their training at a pace, place and time to suit them.

“We are constantly looking to enhance our e-learning provision across all sectors through the development of both new academies and training courses and we are well equipped to respond to future challenges and opportunities.”

Posted at 30^th July 2010