New learner support guidelines aimed at training managers and providers are available from the British Learning Association (BLA).

The best practice guide 10 Steps to Develop Learner Support – a guideline through the key issues gives an overview of what is meant by learner support and the different options. The free guide also includes a step-by-step approach with a checklist at each stage to help users develop a strategy for the review and development of learner support in the organisation.

Brian Merison, General Manager of the BLA and author of the guidelines said: "Learner support is a well used term but can mean many different things to different people. The different interpretations of the term depend in many ways on the context.

"Many of the options for support are relatively new to practitioners and although there are a number of publications covering various aspects of support there remained a need to provide guidance on the development of learner support that is appropriate to the environments and context in which it is needed."

Merison added that he hoped this would be the first in a series of best practice guides from the BLA addressing key issues facing learning practitioners.

* The guide is free to download at here.