Hot on the heels of the government's Skills Strategy (it was actually announced the day before), the government has unveiled a set of proposals for consultation on the future use of technology within learning.

The government's aim is to provide all learners with access to the latest technology for training they undertake through a unified England-wide strategy. The consultation document, "Towards a unified e-learning strategy", puts forward suggestions as to how education leaders, teachers, learners and commercial suppliers might contribute to the process of change, the aim being to create a long-term strategy which "looks ahead to years when the technology will probably have evolved further."

Views are being sought from those involved in all areas of education and training. The DfES statement says that they would expect commercial suppliers of ICT systems, software publishers and service providers to look at "how they might support these new approaches that should, after all, give them graduates from the education system with highly employable skills".

Speaking at the Association for Learning Technologies conference, Education Secretary Charles Clarke said: "Using interactive technologies can bring huge benefits to the way we teach and learn, but at the moment there is not enough of it happening in this country. All learners, from pre-school to lifelong learning, can benefit from mixing these new technologies with other forms of study. We must make sure those benefits are universal. We are committed to making e-learning a fundamental part of all education, and we want to hear the views of everyone concerned, including employers who want the best for developing their workforce. Online services are an increasing part of everyday life, and education and training must mirror these changes to revolutionise all learning."

The consultation runs until January 2004, and the final e-learning strategy will be unveiled later that year. The consultation document can be downloaded from the Department for Education and Skills website at www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations