News story

The Training Foundation appoints European Director

Learning NewsThe Training Foundation

The Training Foundation has appointed Hywel Thomas as European Director. Based permanently in Brussels, Thomas will be responsible for liaison with the European Institute for e-Learning (EifEL) , the e-Learning Industry Group (eLIG), the European Commission and international partners working with The Training Foundation as part of a strategy designed to create common standards and a standardised approach to training skills certification across the European Community and beyond.

Director of Corporate Development Adrian Snook commented: “The recent announcement that the European Institute for e-Learning (EIfEL) has endorsed our Certified e-Learning Professional ( CeLP® ) programme represents a very important milestone, marking the start of the next major phase of development for The Training Foundation as we expand our TAP® and CeLP programmes internationally.“

“We recognise the huge cultural diversity of Europe and the challenges of partnering with governments and other institutions based outside the UK. That is why I am delighted to announce the appointment of Hywel Thomas, who will be focussed on working proactively with organisations like EIfEL and the eLIG from a full time base on the doorstep of the European Commission in Brussels”

”Hywel has been working with the Training Foundation since 1999, initially managing the roll out of the TAP programme for a major IT Training company in Singapore and more recently moving into Project Manager and Tutor roles for the Certified e-Learning Professional Programme (CeLP). This experience, combined with an ability to speak a number of foreign languages made Hywel an ideal choice for this challenging new international role.”

Hywel Thomas commented “The challenges relating to training and development faced by states across the EU are significant and growing in scale due to rapid globalisation. The Training Foundation will undoubtedly have a part to play in ensuring that appropriate assessable, behaviour changing and consistent approaches to trainer and e-learning skills development are adopted throughout the European Community. I am very much looking forward to playing a key role in these initiatives as they progress.”

EIfEL Chief Executive Serge Ravet was equally positive: “Our partnership with The Training Foundation in relation to the CeLP programme is extremely important to us. I have already met Hywel and am looking forward to working closely with him over the coming months to contribute to the development and professionalisation of training, through the development and adoption of internationally recognised training and learning professional standards.”