Learning platform advances further education

As well as working with thousands of schools and FE colleges in the UK, itslearning has collaborated with training providers such as The Skills Company and Just IT to modernise learning.  With over 7 million worldwide active users, the itslearning platform offers a complete solution for online learning which includes course design, delivery, progress monitoring and reporting and assessments to support the delivery of the new apprenticeship frameworks and online training and development. All accessible through one simple interface, on any device, 24/7.

The company has launched a white paper to provide help and guidance for colleges and training providers about the new apprenticeship levy, which comes into force on 1^st April 2017.  The white paper focusses on three main areas; saving costs, tracking apprentices and improving outcomes.

itslearning partnered with Joe Wilson, the former Chief Executive of the College Development Network and current Independent Educational Consultant to develop this white paper. Joe is working on a range of assignments for awarding bodies, universities, private companies and public agencies across the UK and internationally.

Joe explains that one of the changes will be that all apprenticeships must contain an end-point assessment (EPA) which is a holistic assessment of the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours (KSBs) that have been learned throughout the apprenticeship. This change is designed to ensure that apprentices meet the rigorous standard set by employers and are fully competent in their relevant occupation.  Employers and training providers will need to be confident in an apprentice’s ability to pass the EPA before presenting them for the final assessments. This means that tracking and the monitoring of a candidate’s performance will become critical over the training period of the apprenticeship. The itslearning platform offers functionality to support all apprenticeships through this one online source.      

Just IT is one of the training providers which utilises the itslearning platform.

Grant Swart the DPP Trainer says: “We use itslearning as a way of delivering practice tests to our apprentices online, which enables our apprentices to do their tests and training when it suits them. We can easily monitor who is completing their work and see how the apprentices are progressing. Feedback from tutors, apprentices and employers has been very positive and the support we have received from itslearning has been great.” 

itslearning UK Managing Director Barry Smith comments: “The itslearning platform has transformed over the years and today it is the leading learning platform that reduces costs, saves on administration time and personalises learning outcomes for students. Typically, students and apprentices train and take assessments within training centres but with the installation of itslearning, much more can now be achieved through this cloud based learning platform. A blended approach provides you with access to monitor apprentices’ progress and improve learning outcomes.”