Schools not ready for life beyond eLCs
Shift Media research reveals impact of uncertainty on ICT spending
LONDON, 18TH JUNE 2004.
Over fifty per cent of budget-holders in schools have made no formal provision for curriculum-based electronic materials beyond the tranche of eLCs (electronic learning credits) next April, according to new research from Shift Media.
Continued uncertainty over the future of eLCs is affecting schools’ ICT decisions, Shift Media concludes in its Future of eLC Spending reports. With no guarantee of government funding beyond 2006, many primary and secondary schools are avoiding long-term commitments when purchasing electronic learning materials.
A number of schools are opting for one-off purchases or short-contract subscriptions, with serious implications for publishers and software developers who supply the sector, says Shift Media director Jane Powell. “Suppliers need to consider whether their business models are in step with the way that schools are making their decisions,” she advises.
With schools focusing on the short-term, suppliers need to act now to embed their electronic learning products in everyday teaching, particularly if the £100m of eLCs released in April 2005 proves to be the last. “Suppliers who want a long-term future in this market need to make sure their products are actually being used in schools and not sitting on a shelf,” says Powell.
Notes for Editors
About the Future of eLC Spending
The Future of eLC Spending is part of the new Business Intelligence service
from Shift Media. It is the most up-to-date survey of how eLC funds are
being used and what this means for curriculum-based content. Decision-makers
at 50 primary and 50 secondary schools, as well as 20 LEA ICT advisors,
were interviewed for the research. The findings and recommendations are
published in separate briefings for the primary and secondary markets
and available to subscribers of Shift Media’s Syndicated Business
Intelligence Service.
About Shift Media
Shift Media is a consultancy that specialises in education and learning.
It conducts market research and analysis, develops business strategy and
creates multimedia materials for publishing companies, corporate universities
and the public sector. Its recent clients include BT, BBC Worldwide, McGraw-Hill
Education, Thomson Learning, Collins Education, Oxford University Press
and Spencer Stuart.
For more information, please contact Jane Powell at jane.powell@shift-media.co.uk or 020 7253 8959.
An article on our research appeared in the The Bookseller.