The Financial Times reported last week that private companies are to be asked to work with the National Grid for Learning in a bid to improve its website.

NGfL was set up in 1998 with the aim of creating a network of online learning and teaching materials, mainly for school use, but also providing information for learners of all ages. The site now has over 5,000 pages of hosted content and 300,000 pages of indexed content, but the website has suffered from poor design and functionality, and seems to struggle to communicate its purpose. The FT reports that although 20,200 schools have connected to the Internet using the Grid, it has failed to take off as the chosen portal site for those in Education. Bringing in private partners is seen as an attempt to rectify these problems.

TrainingZONE says: The website has had a revamp in recent months, making it slightly more user-friendly, but the design remains pretty clinical. It remains to be seen whether outside assistance will help to revamp the project.