Then it looked for a management training provider. In the 1990s, Pitman Publishing Limited, wholly owned by Pearson plc, was the biggest business book publisher in the UK – by far. Its nearest rival, Kogan Page, was about one third of its size. Pitman wanted to grow, but felt it had exhausted the possibilities for organic growth, and so it turned to acquisitions. Pitman re-examined what sort of business it was in, and made a decisive shift in thinking, from book publishing to management education. This added capability in management training videos, in DVD format. part two to follow MORE >>

The idea of the book is to provide a handy manual for learning and development professionals, and anyone who has to undertake any task to do with learning and development. I’m researching a new book, which is intended to be a compendium of tools and techniques for learning and development. plan to explain and analyse some of the most popular tools, not just for delivery (although there will be plenty of those), but also for applying learning theory, analysing learning needs, strategy and planning, and perhaps especially reviewing, evaluating and quality-assuring learning. MORE >>

There's a big agenda, and I'm enthusiastic about adding value in VDS's programmes providing leadership, quality assurance, and resources for volunteering in Scotland. I'm giving up my consultancy business. began Executive and Professional Development Ltd in 2005, when I left the eLearning Alliance, having undertaken very little consulting work prior to that. It's been varied and enjoyable, I've met many interesting people and undertaken some great projects. But I haven't tackled a learning manager's role for a while, and its lure is irresistible. MORE >>

would highly recommend this programme as it provides foundational knowledge, skills and experience for anyone tasked with evaluating learning in their organisation. ” (Alan Forsythe, Training & Development Manager at SHARE, and one of the participants in the first cohort). In June, I wrote about progress in what was then a brand new action development programme. That was the first cohort, since completed, of LEAD, which stands for Learning Evaluation Action Development, and is Airthrey Ltd’s flagship programme. noted in June that one LEAD participant had said “it changed my life!” MORE >>

This got me interested in identifying the comparable stats for the UK, and this useful Parliamentary Briefing provides them. In the foreword to Brinkerhoff and Apking’s High Impact Training (2001), Professor Dale M Brethower identified the total US spend on education, “from kindergarten through graduate school” at $230 billion, and estimated that employers pass on to consumers at least $300 billion in spend on training and development. Current UK public expenditure on education is around the £90 billion mark. MORE >>