TrainingZONE has grown since 1997 and is now the largest and most successful website for training and HR professionals. It is one of many sector-specific communities developed and operated by Sift Ltd providing business-to-business vertical online marketplaces. By January 2001, Sift is serving 200,000 registered members.

Each site offers a comprehensive range of features including: Information and News, Practical Resources, Community Services, and Work Opportunities. The whole package provides a complete marketplace for each professional sector.

Our development plans include: a major re-design of the site layout and navigation; providing an integrated suite of online business tools and services; expanding the membership; running a series of off-line events; providing customised versions for intranet use.

TrainingZONE opportunities in other countries

Whilst many of the Resource, Community and Work Opportunity features are of value in any country, our news coverage has traditionally focused on the UK. We are seeking Editors in other countries who can help us to:

• Promote TrainingZONE in other countries
  
• Launch and maintain country-specific news pages on new pages of the site to be called www.trainingzone.co.uk/your_country_name
  
• Launch and maintain country-specific email newswires
  News stories and newswires can be written and published in any language which uses this alphabet.

Requirements for Country Editors
The role of Country Editor may be undertaken by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable individual, a group of people working together, a training provider, or other company or organisation interested in the role.

Each country editor must:-

1. Have a strong professional knowledge of the training sector within the country
   
2. Have an interest and familiarity with the internet
   
3. Be able to source, write and publish a minimum of five relevant news stories each week about training-related issues in their country
   
4. Be able to write a regular email newswire for distribution within the country at least once each month. Each newswire to contain a short summary of country news stories, information about resources available on TrainingZONE, and relevant hyperlinks to the site.
   
5. Provide TrainingZONE with a minimum of 100 valid names and email addresses for people willing to receive the country newswire (and preferably more)
   
6. Be willing to learn simple processes for publishing news stories onto the TrainingZONE site using online templates and an Editors Handbook (written in English)
   
7. Be willing to act as country editor for a period of at least 12 months and to sign the Country Editor Agreement

What TrainingZONE offers to Country Editors

1. The entire TrainingZONE website is operated, developed and maintained by Sift and our technology will create each country page, convert and display the country news stories, and distribute the email newswires written by the Country Editor. Country Editors will be writing and publishing news stories in plain text using online templates - they do not need to know HTML, programming or web-publishing.
   
2. We will arrange automatic distribution of the regular email newswire using newswire text supplied by the country editor to the distribution list
   
3. A facility will exist for new users to register for the country newswire both on the site and by email
   
4. A Country Editors Handbook with instructions and guidelines for publishing news stories and preparing newswires is available (in English)
   
5. TrainingZONE staff will be available by phone and email to provide support and answer queries
   
6. Each country page will carry full credits, promotion, logo branding, hyperlinks and contact information for the country editor
   
7. Each country newswire will be shown as co-published with the country editor and the country editor can include self-promotion within each newswire.
   
8. Country Editors can use the title 'TrainingZONE Editor for Country_Name' in their own literature for the duration of the Agreement.
   
9. TrainingZONE promotes the country page and the country editor through appropriate links elsewhere on the site and in other newswires.

Country Editors will not become employees or legal partners of Sift. We are offering marketing and promotional opportunities though an association with TrainingZONE, rather than a financial payment.

How to apply

Companies, organisations and individuals who feel they can fulfil the requirements to become a Country Editor should send full details of their current activities and how they match our requirements as shown above by email to Tim Pickles. There is no deadline. Applications will be considered as they arrive.