An e-Learning Update from the U.K.

An e-Learning Update from the U.K.

May 25, 2010

Learning Light—as yet the only U.K.-based organization to be brave enough to attempt to nail to the wall of hard facts and figures the corporate Jello that is the U.K.'s e-learning sector—is beginning to update its figures on the size, shape, health, and state of the industry in 2010. This will be the third such report; the others were in 2007 and 2009.

The principal finding of the 2009 report, "The U.K. e-learning market 2009," available as a free download, from www.e-learningcentre.co.uk, is that the annual size of the U.K. e-learning industry in 2009 was between �300 million and �450 million, with growth rates forecast of between 6.7 and 8 percent. Compare that with growth forecasts of some 25 percent in 2007! The Learning Light Report is not just the most comprehensive assessment of the U.K.'s corporate e-learning sector, it's the only such report. Moreover, by the time it publishes its 2010 report, it will have reliable, comparable figures for the industry over the last four years.

As such, these series of Learning Light Reports are essential reading for U.K.-oriented e-learning market analysts and commentators, as well as would-be successful entrepreneurs.

One of the major drawbacks to producing any study of "the e-learning industry" is that it is extremely difficult to define what is and isn't "e-learning" and thus how big the industry really is.

Importantly, Learning Light's 2010 report will be the third report to use the same criteria, so regardless of the actual volumes and value of work, there will be some meaningful moving averages and similar measures for comparing corporate e-learning activity between 2007 and 2010.

Anyone who wants to help identify the size and shape of the corporate e-learning industry in the U.K. (or perhaps less altruistically, anyone who wants his or her e-learning organization featured in the report) should get in touch with David Patterson) at Learning Light as soon as possible.

About the Author
For more than 20 years, Bob Little has specialized in writing about, and commentating on, corporate learning—especially e-learning—and technology-related subjects. His work has been published in the U.K., Europe, the U.S., and Australia. Contact Bob at [email protected].