INFORMATION SOCIETY WEBSITE
[5 February 2003] The European Commission has launched a research networking website for its Information Society programme.

United Kingdom - Scottish Enterprise launch new website to increase broadband take-up
[Europemedia.net - 16 December 2002] The website is focused on how broadband can benefit businesses in Scotland and provides an impartial guide to high-speed internet access, what it is, how it works and where to get it.

Is the consumer e-business ready?
[IT-Director.com - 22 November 2002] It is interesting to read the recent report 'the World's Most Effective Policy for the e-Economy'. Available online, it examines Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and the UK using more than 100 selected criteria and rates which age groups and households are comforable in the online age.

Skills get the go-ahead by the government
[ITTraining - 28 November 2002] Skills for business are high on the political agenda, the Government announced at last week's UK Skills Convention in Manchester.

Ireland & Hong Kong strengthen ICT Links
[eBusinesslive - Enterprise Ireland - 9 December 2002] Ireland & Hong Kong have issued a joint statement designed to strengthen trade and economic links between the two countries, especially in the ICT sector. It identifies the following areas of cooperation between Ireland and Hong Kong:
1. on-going dialogue and consultations between Ireland and Hong Kong regarding the development of e-commerce, including building an international framework for e-commerce;
2. exchanging information about Government policies and measures to develop and promote e-commerce;
3. delivering Government services on-line;
4. enhancing cooperation between our business development agencies;
5. encouraging dialogue between business organisations in Ireland and Hong Kong and
6. enhancing awareness and confidence of citizens and business in e-commerce
Ms. Mary Harney, Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment of Ireland and Mr Antony Leung, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China recently exchanged this Joint Statement on Co-operation, on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and on small and medium size enterprises (SMEs).

THE 'NET RESULT: A British Telecom (BT) e-learning success story
[eLearning Magazine - 1 October 2002] The problem: With part of BT's revenue derived from the sale of Internet products and services, it was a little embarrassing that many inside the company knew little of its actual workings. Management realized they had to change that by making everyone, including themselves, Internet savvy. The Solution: A three-tiered approach that catered to different employee skills and requirements. Tier one was on the basics; tier two on advance concepts; and tier three was simulation based activities. ROI: Subsequent internal surveys have indicated that the eXperience course not only helped the employees understand the Internet, but also substantially increased their sales numbers--around 220% increase in sales.

Knowledge management market steams ahead
[Europemedia.net - 24 October 2002] Over the coming five years, the knowledge management (KM) software and services market will exhibit strong growth as more companies begin to understand how to apply KM practices for the improvement of enterprise value, predicts a new report from the research firm IDC.

The Best of the Best—From a Distance: A Report on the MIT Conference on Distance Education and Training Strategies: Lessons From Best Practices
[eLearn Magazine - 25 October 2002] Over a dozen expert panelists from higher education, industry, and government sectors shared their experiences at the MIT Conference on Distance Education and Training Strategies: Lessons From Best Practices conference held on September 24th at the Tang Center at MIT. This all-day conference attracted about 150 learning professionals from the Boston area and beyond, including a panelist who presented virtually from his office in Nairobi, Kenya.

ICT research still lagging behind US
[Europemedia.net - 23 October 2002] Only 19 per cent of the France's private and public research funding is dedicated to ICT research, whereas in the US the ICT sector comes second in terms of funding priorities, behind the fight against terrorism.

Benchmarking report calls for reforms to increase human resources in RTD
[Cordis Focus - 7 October 2002] While Europe is potentially capable of producing the scientists to meet aspirations of a knowledge driven economy, most EU Member States have inadequacies at almost every stage in the process, according to a new report.

Information day on technology enhanced learning
[Cordis - 11 October 2002] An information day on technology enhanced learning will be hosted by Proacte on 5 December in Luxembourg.

EU outlines its framework for 2003 world summit on the information society
[Cordis - 7 October 2002] In a speech in Geneva on 17 September, at a meeting on the themes and content of the two-part summit, beginning in Geneva in December 2003, Mr Ip Petersen, representing the European Council Presidency, outlined his vision of a framework for the future world summit on the information society.

UK Dominates the Information Society sector - Ireland features strongly, employment-wise
According to recent figures from Eurostat, the EU statistical office the UK has the largest number of firms in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector in the EU, although in employment terms, Ireland, Sweden and Finland feature strongly. In 1999 the ICT sector in the European Union accounted for approximately 442,000 companies, 90% of which were in the service sector. Two thirds of these firms (143,100) were based in the United Kingdom, followed by Italy (90,400) and Germany (57,400). Employment in the ICT sector totalled about 4.5 million persons in 1999, of whom two-thirds were employed in the service sector.

E-learning is where the money is at- new reports

[Europemedia.net - 10 October 2002] Two recent studies--one by On-Line Learning magazine and the other by the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD)--show that up to 60 per cent of companies in the US use some form of e-learning.