News story

Chelsea’s European Victory

Learning NewsThe Training Foundation

Gareth Harris who works for the Chelsea Building Society recently became the first person in the UK to scoop a European Diploma in the field of e-Learning.

Gareth, who works in the training team at the Chelsea, was presented with his Diploma Certificate at the Society’s headquarters in Cheltenham last week. In achieving the award Gareth had to study a range of different modules and then complete an assignment for each one. The courses took over one year to complete and required around 4-5 hours of on-line work each week.

When handing over the Diploma Certificate Les Hobbs, Director of Learning Solutions for The Training Foundation commented: “Gareth successfully completed the necessary course of study with us and was awarded the Certified e-Learning Professional (CeLP®) Diploma in e-Learning by the UK Institute of IT Training. This has now led to a further award from the European Institute for e-Learning (EIfEL) which provides international recognition of the high standards that Gareth has achieved in creating, operating and managing e-Learning programmes for employees of the Society.“

Jeff Farish, Chelsea’s Assistant General Manager (Training & Development) said, “Gareth’s achievement not only demonstrates the Chelsea’s commitment to employee training, but also gives Gareth the tools needed to take our existing e-Learning programme to new heights”.

Speaking from the headquarters of the European Institute for e-Learning in Champlost, France, Chief Executive Serge Ravet commented: “Gareth and the Chelsea should be congratulated for their foresight in making a significant commitment to the development of e-Learning related professional skills through the CeLP ® Programme. These skills are currently in very short supply across Europe and are increasingly regarded as critical to the future success of human resource development strategies within major organisations”.

Editors Notes

The Chelsea is the UK’s 6th largest building society with assets of £7.4bn.

High resolution pictures of Gareth Harris receiving the award are available via email from Andy Barr.