NewswireTODAY - /newswire/ - Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, 2005/10/13 - The British Learning Association (BLA) will be presenting a seminar on the 15th November at this year’s World of Learning Conference and Exhibition at the NEC Birmingham, to launch its revised and improved Quality Mark.

The seminar, 'The British Learning Association's New Quality Mark' will take place at 13.45 in the Product Demonstration Theatre and is free of charge to all attendees.

The BLA’s Quality Mark has been redeveloped over the last 18 months to make it relevant and accessible to a wide range of organisations in the learning arena. Recognition of achievement is through a robust combination of self-assessment and external verification - an approach which provides a rigorous, consistent and cost-effective process.

The seminar will be presented by BLA Quality Forum member Alistair Morrison. In 1998 Alistair was Managing Director of Skillchange Systems when it became one of the first organisations to achieve the Quality Mark Award. Alistair has been a member of the team working on the redevelopment project.

Alistair said: “Achieving the Quality Mark took a lot of effort but it really was worth it. Going through the assessment process identified areas for development that enabled us to improve both the quality of what we produced and the productivity of our operations. The public recognition of our commitment to quality and to continuous improvement was also of great value commercially and it acted as a morale booster for everyone.”

BLA General Manager, Brian Merison, commented: “A great deal of time and effort has been invested in the redevelopment of the Quality Mark. We believe that it acts as a powerful tool for enhancing the impact of learning and in so doing increasing the competitiveness of individual organisations and the economy as a whole. Existing holders identify a wide range of organisational and commercial benefits resulting from their accreditation.”

Notes to the Editor

About the British Learning Association (BLA)
The BLA is a centre of expertise that produces best practice examples, identifies trends and disseminates information on both innovative and well-established techniques and technologies for learning. The aim is to synthesise existing knowledge, develop original solutions and disseminate this to a wide cross sector membership.

About the BLA Quality Mark
It is widely recognised that the development of an organisation’s people provides a powerful competitive weapon. At the same time customer expectations and demands for better quality are growing. The BLA’s Quality Mark is designed specifically for the learning sector and provides a means for organisations to align their learning activities with customer and organisational demands.

High level benefits include:

• External recognition of commitment to quality through a prestigious award;
• Detailed feedback from experts in the field on your current status highlighting future development opportunities;
• Confidence and reassurance to learners and customers;
• Competitiveness in the commercial market place;
• Higher visability of your contribution to the organisation;
• Impact on the bottom line;
• A range of networking opportunities.

The strength of the system is a framework adapted from the EFQM-Excellence Model. This provides a robust, objective and internationally recognised model of excellence.

The Quality Mark has been successfully applied for and achieved by a number of the BLA’s membership representing a wide range of sectors, including: FE, HE, adult community learning, local government, MOD, corporate and learning services supply.

Agency / Source: The British Institute for Learning & Dev.

Availability: All Regions (Including Int'l)

Traffic Booster: [/] Quick NewswireToday Visibility Checker

Distribution / Indexing: [+]