We announced the new Towards Maturity community interest company today. Here is the full press release:

Towards Maturity Comes of Age 

 Towards Maturity, the e-skills UK project aimed at helping organisations improve the impact of learning technologies at work has now come of age. Having successfully exceeded the objectives at its inception, Towards Maturity is now moving on to an exciting new phase of its development.

Originally funded by the LSC to understand how employers are making use of learning technologies, the project currently supports a community of over 1000 organisations with research , case studies and contributions of from an ever increasing virtual advisory network.

As a result of its huge success, the programme has taken on a new life of its own which has resulted in the formation of an independent community interest company - Towards Maturity CIC – to extend the value of the project (which formally closed on 31st March 2008) to an even wider community of employers and learning providers.

The effective, or ‘mature’, use of learning technologies has provided the opportunity to improve skills development for staff in the workplace.  Its use is becoming more widespread but  not all organisations are leveraging the benefits of their investment due to lack of awareness or capability. Towards Maturity CIC aims to continue to help organisations get more value from their learning technologies and help them improve their effectiveness in the workplace.

Karen Price, CEO of e-skills UK says ‘Technology is transforming the way that we live and learn – we started this project three years ago and are thrilled with the way that organisations and individuals from a broad range of sectors have contributed and benefited. This is the next logical step to extend this success beyond the project life and provide ongoing collaboration across such a diverse network.’

A key part of Towards Maturity’s development is its new partnership with Becta and the Next Generation Learning campaign, which aims to raise awareness among learners, parents and employers of the benefits of learning technology.

Jane Williams, Becta’s Executive Director, FE, Regeneration and Delivery commented: ‘We are very pleased to support the ongoing work of Towards Maturity, which is uniquely placed to support an employer focus for our Next Generation Learning campaign.  It is essential that more people at work and employers really understand the way that technology can support their learning and development needs.   

Laura Overton, the new managing director of Towards Maturity CIC, has been working with the project since its beginning, drawing on over 20 years of practical experience.

Laura Overton said: ‘The focus of our team has always been about finding and sharing practical advice that makes a difference to those implementing learning at work. Moving forward our aim is to continue to simplify and distil these lessons learned and make them more widely available’.

The web site www.towardsmaturity.org provides free research, updates and resources to organisations looking to improve the way they use learning technologies in the workplace.

Charles Jennings, Global Head of Learning at Thomson Reuters and member of the TM Virtual Advisory Network  commented ‘At Thomson Reuters we know that you have to invest in learning, and ensure that it is great learning, to get ahead. We’ve found that effective use of learning technologies has helped to not only motivate and stimulate individuals but also improve business outcomes. It takes time and experience to embed technology properly and Towards Maturity has done a great job in sharing the lessons of those already on that journey for the benefit of others.’

Nige Howarth and Howard Hills, both well respected in the industry will continue to work as part of the new Towards Maturity CIC management team.

Download full press release here

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