Enquiries Rise as Government Funding Announced for Distance Learning Technologies

Asysco has noticed an increase in enquiries for audio visual technologies designed for distance learning projects and expects this to increase further following yesterday's announcement from the UK Department of Business, Innovation and Skills of a new task force and £20 million funding initiative. The Government's aim is to make UK universities the first choice for international distance learning and to stimulate collaboration between them within the UK.

Egham, Surrey (PRWEB) June 28, 2009 -- Hot on the heels of yesterday's announcement by the Department of Business Innovation and Skills of a new task force and £20 million funding initiative to ensure the UK's universities collaborate more effectively, Asysco (http://www.asysco.co.uk) has noted a marked increase in enquiries about distance learning technologies.

This 'collaboration injection' is designed to help UK universities reach out to communities across the globe, deliver world-class, student-centred online distance learning and engage potential markets that could value around £15bn in the future.

The Chief Executive of the British Library, Lynne Brindley, will chair the task force, which is geared to meeting increased demand in new educational markets. It's backed by the new Open Learning Innovation Fund and will receive £10 million from the fund's architect, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), in this competitive match-funding initiative.

Asysco is the UK's leading professional audio visual integrator and its Education Division has been a key proponent of distance learning opportunities for many years. As news of the task force and cash injection broke, the Division was delighted to find that many universities were taking the first steps towards implementing a more collaborative e-learning programme.

Tony Bainbridge is Business Development Manager for Asysco's Education Division and is pleased with the levels of interest shown by the UK's universities already.

'We've advocated the case for distance learning since we became heavily involved with the Education sector many years ago,' he confirms. 'And now, as the Government is taking action to stimulate growth and help universities exploit new business opportunities, it's not surprising that so many institutions want to be at the forefront of this exciting technology.

'Students from far-flung communities in Africa, Asia and beyond will benefit from high-quality higher education while the UK's universities can strive to become the first choice across the world for online distance learning resources.'

The wider strategy of the Online Learning Innovation Fund will help develop new plans for international marketing of the UK's higher education facilities, promote the development of e-learning programmes and work to increase the quality of learning resources that are freely available for all institutions to use.

The task force will also include senior representatives from Microsoft, Apple, the British Council, HEFCE, JISC and Universities UK and will be advised by the BBC when appropriate.

If you'd like to know more about distance learning and the huge opportunities this technology offers, visit www.asysco.co.uk to find out more about how AV (audio visual) is changing the face of education.

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