E P I C   T H I N K I N G

Issue 48: December 2005

This month:

1. Introduction: A short round-up of the year
2. Consultant's Corner: Millenials - the new learners
3a. Article: Gadget of the year
3b. Article: Let's Talk Insurance
4a. Show report: I/ITSEC 2005
4b. Pre-show report: Learning Technologies 2006
5. Hall of Fame: Technology analysts
6. Jobs: Check out the latest vacancies
7. Blended Learning workshops: New dates announced

2005 REVIEW

1. As many of you will be aware, 2005 has been a momentous year for Epic – and 2006 promises to be just as eventful. In August, we welcomed new owners in the form of Huveaux plc, the London-based media and training company; Huveaux initially approached Epic because it was looking for some e-learning solutions of its own, but liked the company so much it decided to buy it!

Since then, much of the time has been spent ensuring the service Epic offers has been maintained at our traditionally high standards, and everybody here would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients and friends for your loyalty over this and past years. We hope we can look forward to your continuing custom.

Our goal for 2006 is to offer a wider and more diverse range of services, products and solutions. To find out more, please come and visit us on stand 62 at the Learning Technologies show in Olympia on January 25th and 26th.

With best wishes for a Happy Christmas and a successful New Year.

Steve Macvicar, COO, Epic

CONSULTANT'S CORNER

2a. New Year, new generation at work

With the baby boomers (1940-1960) retiring and Generation X (1960-1980) in mid career it’s now the turn of the Millenials (1980-2000) to be the new, ‘NOW!’ generation (also called Generation Y, Internet Generation or Echo Boomers), and they are entering the workforce - your workforce. They have a different mindset as to what their career should be - and it’s likely that it won’t be as an employee for life.

According to Claire Raines, this NOW! generation is as different from their Generation X managers as possible. They’re also a sought-after commodity. The demographic time-bomb, caused by low birth rates, is starting to bite and we need these guys to learn fast and look after us earlier as we live longer.

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ARTICLE

3a. Gadget of the year

Is this little device set to become bigger than the iPod? Well it doesn’t store hundreds of tunes – it doesn’t have the cool cachet of the jukebox on the go – but it has begun to take the American education system by storm. What is it? It’s a teaching computer in a pen – and it talks to you!

Click here to read the rest of the article

ARTICLE

3b. Let's Talk Products

2005 has been a very successful year for Epic. Following the takeover by Huveaux, Epic has spent some time concentrating on issue-specific products that relate directly to challenges faced by specific client sectors.

As a result the first product was released in October to coincide with the CIPD conference in Harrogate - iLead, a Leadership Development programme, housed in an online learning portal and packed with over 30 hours of e-learning and is fully accredited by Nottingham Business School, which can lead to the UK’s first degree in Leadership.

The following month, we launched the Let’s Talk Insurance programme, the second in a growing suite of flexible training tools from Epic. Therese Coyne, Epic Account Manager for the Retail and Travel sector attended the ABTA annual conference in Marrakech and presented the official product launch to the travel industry. Designed to meet ABTA and FSA regulations that govern the sale of and advice on travel insurance in the UK, Let’s Talk Insurance replaces a face to face training course with two hours of e-learning and a supplementary thirty minute assessment.

To date, approximately 9,000 ABTA members have completed the programme.

For more details on iLead, Let’s talk Insurance or any other Epic product contact us.

SHOW REPORT

4a. Biggest e-learning conference in years - I/ITSEC 2005

Donald Clark reports back on a huge US military training conference. An e-learning conference as big as it gets. E-learning now merges seamlessly into the simulation world and this one-sector conference, which deals exclusively with military technology-based training is bigger than any UK or European e-learning conference I've attended. As their military undergo a transformation in purpose and training, there's lots we can learn from their excellent work in:

• Agile training
  
• Embedded training
  
• Simulations
  
• Games

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PRE-SHOW REPORT

4b. Learning Technologies 2006

Epic is once again exhibiting at the Learning Technologies conference and exhibition due to take place at Olympia on January 25th and 26th. LT has always proved a very interesting show for Epic as the theme directly addresses what we do. It is always fascinating to meet the visitors who, by and large, are very well informed about the latest industry innovations. At the forthcoming exhibition, Epic will be unveiling an improved service. Following a study of client feedback over the last few months we have aligned the various parts of the company into a tighter and more rounded 360 degree learning offering. We would love to see you at the show and recommend that anyone interested in learning technologies does visit, not just Epic but also the broad range of suppliers that the show attracts. If you would like a complementary ticket please contact us at marketing@epic.co.uk.