It was a very enjoyable morning at the new hi-tech Invision suite at TUC Congress House - a fitting venue for the launch of the TUC's managed learning environment on the internet. Guests included not only press and media contacts, but union representatives and educationalists from a variety of organisations - including current clients of learnOnline.

Linda Kelly, Director of the TUC's National Education Centre (who have developed learnOnline with Online Publishing Education Ltd), introduced the speakers. Then John Monks and David Blunkett kicked off the launch by discussing the rapid development in online learning in the UK and what both the TUC and the Government are doing in this exciting and creative area of education. Reading messages sent by the Ministers of Education in South Africa and Sweden and the Chairman of the LO (the Swedish TUC equivalent), John Monks reported on the international wave of interest in learning online and how it can help provide greater access to education.

Among the coffee and croissants, guests joined in a discussion about internet-based education and training hosted by Jeraint Hazan, CEO of learnOnline, Steve Ferris and Sean Bamford (IT Consultants at TUC NEC). Then visitors were allowed to sample the learnOnline system itself, to find out exactly what online learning is all about.