Update November 2010

The full report will be launched at a webinar on the 25th of November at 10 am GMT in association with the Learning and Skills group. Find out more or contact Laura@towardsmaturity.org for login details.

London, June 8th – The 4th Towards Maturity 2010 benchmark review was launched today at the Learning and Skills group event, Olympia London with outstanding support from the wider Learning & Development industry.

The benchmark is now considered the most comprehensive, independent and authoritative review on the use of Learning Technologies in the workplace in the UK. The 2010 benchmark represents a unique industry collaboration reflected by endorsements from 15 organisations to ensure that this review meets employer needs across all sectors. See below.

All those responsible for implementing learning technologies in the workplace and who are under pressure to accelerate their impact are invited to get involved during the coming months.

If you are responsible for implementing learning technologies in your workplace (and have not already received a personal invitation to participate) then you are invited to take part in our ongoing benchmarking research. Contact laura@towardsmaturity.org for more information.

Laura Overton, Managing Director of Towards Maturity says ‘In 2010 organisations are looking to technology to help deliver efficiencies and improve quality of learning. By investing 40 minutes in this impartial review, participants in the benchmark will be provided with individualised feedback that will help them accelerate change in 2010 and improve the impact of their investment’.

To date over 800 organisations from the private, public and not for profit sectors have participated in this research resulting in a compelling evidence base showing how to improve the impact of learning technologies in the workplace. All new participants in the 2010 benchmark will have the opportunity to benchmark their own progress against established practice and receive a personalised report with practical advice ( value £200) for free. You can follow benchmark progress on Twitter via #TMB10.

Industry endorsements for 2010 Learning Technology Benchmark

Increased national interest in skills means that L&D professionals need to continually innovate to improve business performance. BILD is pleased to continue to  support the Towards Maturity Learning Technology benchmark in 2010 because this powerful research tool provides a unique opportunity for our members to adapt to changing business  by providing them with an opportunity to  reflect  and  benchmark  against effective practices.’ Jack Wills. Chair The British Institute for Learning and Development (BILD) www.thebild.org.uk
‘Adapting to and embracing new technologies for learning is key to moving business and the communities they work in forwards.   When technology matches business needs with learning as a solution, it widens access to learning and better enables more employees to contribute to improving business performance, enriches their own lives and increases engagement with wider society. The TM 2010 Benchmark is an impressive tool for measuring impact and benchmarking companies’ behaviours and encouraging learning from the experience of others.  It is fully supported by Business in the Community and aligns strongly with our own annual benchmarking tool – the Corporate Responsibility (CR) Index. ‘ Sarah Gibb, National Campaign Manager, Business Action on Skills www.bitc.org.uk
'The work of Towards Maturity is vital in helping organisations understand the emergence and maturation of trends in workplace learning, particularly so they can benefit from the experiences of others and ensure they don’t fall behind in the fast-paced knowledge economy”  Jane Hart, CEO, Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies (C4LPT) www.c4lpt.co.uk
‘CLC is pleased to support the 2010 benchmark as we have found that the Towards Maturity research highlights the important issues that the charity sector is facing in implementing learning technologies. The personalised benchmark reports have also provided our members with practical advice and guidance that has helped us to change, innovate and collaborate in order to improve performance’ Martin Baker, The Charity Learning consortium www.charitylearning.org
‘Insightful and up-to-date data on trends and emerging practice is the lifeblood of any learning & development manager. Without solid data and intelligent analysis it’s almost impossible to steer the best path to support our organisations and workers in their quest for the highest quality performance. The Towards Maturity learning technology benchmark is a vital resource for anyone trying to provide top-quality learning and development services.’ Charles Jennings, Duntroon Associates. www.duntroon.com
www.elearnity.com
'E.learning age is pleased to support the Towards Maturity 2010 Benchmark. It is very important work, especially in identifying emerging trends and changing practices in workplace learning and development. This authoritative study fits in with the objectives that we have in organising the E-Learning Awards as it is vital the e-learning community shares what is happening, especially at a time when every organisation is under pressure to deliver great value in all areas, including technology-based learning. We would encourage as many as possible to the take part.' Peter Williams, Editor, E.learning age www.elearningage.co.uk
''The eLearning Network is a keen supporter of the Towards Maturity learning technology benchmark, which does so much to spread good practice and to highlight the issues that need addressing if e-learning is to achieve its full potential'' Clive Shepherd, Chair, eLearning Network www.elearningnetwork.org
‘ Our passion at the institute is to raise professionalism within the learning and development industry and have long believed that measuring impact and benchmarking are critical to innovation that leads to improved performance. Towards Maturity share our passion and over the last 6 years have developed their renowned learning technology benchmark  at the coalface of the industry in order to provide practical insights necessary to drive our profession forward. As a result the IITT is pleased to support the 2010 benchmark and would recommend as many as possible get involved’ – Colin Steed CEO IITT www.iitt.org.uk
‘I would encourage anyone who is serious about using learning technologies to transform workplace learning to take part in the Towards Maturity 2010 Benchmark. To date over 800 organisations have participated resulting in a trusted & established research base proven to help  organisations save time in building innovative learning that delivers results’ Donald H Taylor, Chairman Learning & Skills Group. www.learningtechnologies.co.uk/learning-and-skills-group
‘‘With mounting financial pressure and accountability facing public sector organisations, many of Learning Pool’s customers are finding that now is the time to use tools such as benchmarking and return on investment analysis to better make the case for adopting learning technologies. We recommend the TM 2010 benchmark because it provides organisations with an opportunity to not only review their own activity but draw out practical lessons from the best practices of others in both public and private sector’. Mary McKenna, Learning Pool Director www.learningpool.com
www.informatology.com
‘TJ’s L&D 2020 research project clearly indicates that technology is an increasingly important element in how people learn at work, but its uptake and level of success is still variable. Many organisations are already using technology in sophisticated ways to deliver real business benefit, while others are just beginning to dip their toes into the water. The TM benchmark survey is a vital part of measuring progress and disseminating best practice to support individuals and organisations in embracing technology fully until it becomes just another part of the company infrastructure.’ Debbie Carter, Director of Research, Training Journal www.trainingjournal.com
“With technology moving so fast, learning and development professionals need to adapt their thinking if they don’t want to be left behind. The Towards Maturity 2010 Benchmark will help us understand just where we are in terms of embracing (or not) all the great tools available to enrich the learning experience.” Verity Gough, editor, TrainingZone.co.uk www.trainingZone.co.uk
“We are delighted to be supporting the ongoing research that Towards Maturity has been undertaking over the past six years. It's vital for the industry to be able to take stock of learning approaches and ensure they are relevant to the current market - particularly at such a time when budgets and time are under more pressure than ever. With an inevitable increase in reliance on using technology for learning, it is crucial that consideration is given to the outcomes and effectiveness of its use. The results of this year's survey are sure to provide invaluable help to L&D practitioners to not only facilitate this, but also evaluate and their current activities and embrace the potential technology has to offer.” Alison Church, Senior Conference & Marketing Manager, World of Learning Conference & Exhibition www.learningevents.com
“As most learning is happening on the job there is a potential goldmine in uncovering new ways of leveraging technology to facilitate and support these learning processes. ELIG fully endorses the TM2010 Benchmark - it will provide us with additional evidence that will help to shape solutions geared towards enhancing knowledge work and shaping innovative learning solutions.” Richard Straub, Secretary General, European Learning Industry Group. www.elig.org/

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