The Post Office – One Of The Largest Employers In The UK – To Embrace Elearning For Its Employees Outsourced To Elearning Specialists, Futuremedia Plc

March 9, 2001

ARUNDEL, England– Futuremedia PLC (NASDAQ: FMDAY),In a major coup for the developing elearning industry, one of the worlds leading distribution companies, The Post Office, is to work with Futuremedia Plc (NASDAQ:FMDAY) to deliver training over the Internet.  From the initial contract, the vision is to expand elearning to reach all 200,000 employees and potentially, customers and partners.

eLearning will blend with traditional training methods to reach the organisations personnel, increasing the volume of training it can deliver and reducing the time it takes to deliver learning programmes. Previously the logistics of time, cost, geography and sheer employee numbers have limited the level and speed of delivery of training to its employees.

Futuremedias elearning solution will initially deliver training directly to 6,000 employees in the first six months  – early elearning projects will include:

  • Post Office Induction training

  • Generic IT training skills

  • Bespoke internal IT systems training

  • Marketing Skills

     

The Post Offices long term strategy is to procure a complete elearning managed service. elearning specialists, Futuremedia, will manage the software, platform and site-hosting, but will also be developing a content brokerage service for ongoing e-Learning requirements.  For this, The Post Offices training requirements will be assessed, and then course search, negotiation and administration may be handled on the organisations behalf.

Maxine Easey, Electronic Business Special Initiatives Manager of The Post Office, says We specialise in distribution, and Futuremedia facilitates e-Learning.  Outsourcing allows our organisation to focus on our business objectives by seeking expert assistance through partnerships such as this. 

Christina Lomas, Director of The Post Office Training And Development Group, explains, eLearning offers our employees many benefits, not least the facility to learn whenever it suits them best. People can log on at any time if theyve forgotten how to do something or if they want to progress with their own development plan. The accessibility and flexibility of elearning is a new and powerful addition to the traditional approaches used to assist the personal development of our employees.

Mats Johansson, CEO of Futuremedia, says, The Post Offices move to embrace elearning is a major coup for elearning.  The fact that this world-famous distribution company is adopting Futuremedias approach to teach thousands of employees cost-efficiently will encourage many more.  Indeed, the Post Office order exemplifies our strategy of providing complete turn-key elearning solutions including learning management system, content brokerage, support and services to large corporations.”

The Post Office is one of the UKs leading businesses employing around 200,000 people and generating annual revenues in excess of £7.5 billion.      

                                       

Futuremedia can be found on the web at www.futuremedia.co.uk  easycando can be found on the web at www.futuremedia.co.uk, www.easycando.com

The Post Office can be found on the web at www.postoffice.co.uk

About Futuremedia PLC

Futuremedia PLC is a proven provider of innovative and effective e-learning solutions to major blue-chip clients including Ford Motor Company, Glaxo Pharmaceuticals and BT. Futuremedia develops and markets the easycando™ range of e-learning solutions that combine market-leading content, delivery technology and professional services. easycando solutions build on the proven performance of Solstra™, the Learning Management System (LMS) co-developed by Futuremedia and BT. Solstra 2000 is the UKs first AICC certified Learning Management System

This press release contains forward-looking information that involves risks and uncertainties, including statements about the Company’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, discussions concerning the Company’s strategic direction and new product introductions and developments. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the early stage of the Internet and intranet learning and communications market, the management of growth, the ability of the Company to develop and successfully market new products, rapid technological change and competition, as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. The company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statement to reflect any change in the company’s expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.  All product names and trademarks mentioned herein are trademarks of Futuremedia or their respective owners.

Contact Information

Futuremedia press information: Kay Phelps, The PR Department, +44 1932 761889; kay.phelps@btinternet.com

Futuremedia investor relations: Annemieke Blondeel, LB Consult, +44 20 8308 7080, a.blondeel@lbconsult.com