Gareth Jones, Head of New Media Innovation and Learning at the BBC, will be speaking at Training Solutions. We take a look at how the corporation have organised their learning management.

The BBC have fifteen years of experience of developing interactive learning products: laser discs, CD-Roms, and then online modes in the last three years. Interactive ways of learning have been particularly important because of the scope for giving learners control over their learner, which has always been a priority for the corporation.

The BBC's computer-based learning is now organised and delivered through learn.gateway, an internal BBC portal. Learn.Gateway aims to improve the sharing of good practice, cut costs, provide focussed training to large numbers of staff, and link learning more with strategy.

The portal offers information for induction and career planning, a very broad range of on-line modules delivered via the desktop, and features to promote collaboration and information-sharing.

learn.gateway has four areas:
- information-sharing tools, including a BBC directory listing the skills of individuals, guidelines for best practice, and learning networks that connect across the corporation
- development features: online assessment and appraisal, online induction process, and guidelines within professional specialism
- a learning management system which tracks learning processes for trainess and managers
- a learning and knowledge portal delivering modules and including templates, short courses and the online aspects of a face-to-face course

The portal is a strong central structure for maintaining access to learning, but its features develop continually. The next development will be an advanced search facility to give access to both learning resources and other relevant material across the organisation.