South Yorkshire e-Learning Programme continues to have positive impact seven years on

18 January 2008

The South Yorkshire e-Learning Programme (SYeLP) is taking its 7th birthday as an opportunity to celebrate the positive impact the programme is having in Sheffield.

SYeLP was born in 2001 as an Objective 1-funded educational investment programme. With the support of the four local authorities in South Yorkshire and partner organisations, a total of £88 million has been invested in South Yorkshire, with Sheffield receiving a £33 million share. It was established to invest in new and innovative ways of teaching and learning for young people, jobseekers and the employed to improve their skills and confidence and make a positive difference to their lives and employability.

Schools in Sheffield have benefited from the investment. Latest figures from SYeLP show that the average number of computers per secondary school in the city is almost double from 134 before the funding, to 247. Compared with the national average of 218 computers per school, Sheffield has received a significant provision of ICT facilities helping the city's GCSE results improve at twice the national trend *.

Closing the digital divide and widening accessibility to personalised learning in the region are key objectives of SYeLP and nowhere is the success of the programme more evident than in its support of Sheffield College's online courses. GCSE English, A-Level English and the recent introduction of an E-Communication Foundation Degree are now available for students to study entirely online. This means that students who would not have been able to study in the traditional classroom for various reasons - single parents, disabled and homebound students, those with caring responsibilities and shift workers – can progress from GCSE level through to a foundation degree.

Kathryn Atkin is one student who took GCSE and A-Level qualifications online and is about to embark on the E-Communication foundation degree, she says: "Having previously attempted both qualifications the conventional way I know that online learning suits me best and was thrilled to achieve a grade A in both subjects. I feel sure I would never have managed this at night school. The course involved both literature and language which has been useful in my job because I have to write reports prepare papers for senior managers. I have nothing but praise for the online team and the way they support learners and help them to achieve their potential. I am looking forward to studying E-Communication next month."

Julie Hooper, Online Learning Manager at Sheffield College, says: "The opportunity to study courses online from GCSE to A-Level to foundation degree has enabled many people to gain qualifications they wouldn't have been able to otherwise. SYeLP has been invaluable, not only in its financial and business support but also in its advice on how we can best equip our students with the skills required to meet the needs of regional employers. For example the E-Communication foundation degree, which is the first degree of its kind to be taught online, means that students will be qualified to support local businesses in the digital age."

Over the past seven years SYeLP has been the recipient of two internationally-recognised awards. Supporting Excellence in E-Learrning (SEEL) awarded SYeLP ‘Quality for e-Learning Regions and Cities Award' in 2004. The E-Learning Networks Award presented the programme with ‘The best example of supporting learners online' in 2006 for its work with Sheffield College.

Councillor Harry Harpham, Sheffield City Council's Cabinet Member for Children's Services, says: "The South Yorkshire e-Learning Programme has had a tremendous effect on the lives of people in Sheffield. Through investments in computer infrastructure, ICT training and teaching support, the programme is closing the digital divide. This can only be a good thing for the health and wealth of our city."

* Sheffield results for those achieving five or more GCSEs at grades A*- C including Maths and English were up to 2.8% on the previous year, compared to the national improvement rate of 1.4%