(1888PressRelease)
September 06, 2007 - Unprecedented take up of the Studywiz learning platform (PC/Mac) has resulted in Etech Group’s three fold expansion, after winning four major local authority contracts servicing more than 300,000 students. Etech has been a driving force in helping Local Authorities to realise the Government's £41m e-strategy that states that by spring 2008 every pupil should have access to a personalized online learning space with the potential to support an e-portfolio and by 2010 every school should have integrated learning and management systems (a comprehensive suite of learning platform technologies).
Four leading local authorities including Slough Borough Council, Warwickshire County Council, City of Edinburgh Council and Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council have signed up. Pilots have also been secured with a number of other authorities.
Commenting on the contracts, Geoff Elwood, CEO, Etech, said: “Local authorities are choosing Studywiz because Etech offers an award-winning product with a strong commitment to implementation, technical support and accredited training. We are also the first and only non-European firm to pass Becta’s (British Educational Communications and Technology Agency) rigorous selection process, to be included on its list of preferred suppliers of IT software to UK schools and to win in competitive head-to-head pitches for local authority business.”
Studywiz provides teachers with a controlled, interactive platform that allows them to create and store a rich variety of educational content online, including assignments, tests, ebulletins, word files and discussions.
Schoolchildren are able to access this content in class and from home via the internet, sync information to their iPods, upload podcasts, create picture galleries and discuss their projects online with their teachers, classmates and parents. Parents are able to keep abreast of their child’s development by viewing assignments and student reports online.
A threefold increase in Etech’s UK staff will include Business Development Executives, Support Engineers and Curriculum Support Executives to sustain the rapid growth of Studywiz.
Etech has an dedicated global Curriculum Support team, an integral part of their success, made up of qualified primary and secondary teachers, charged with delivering accredited Studywiz training and long-term development planning to schools across the UK and around the world.
Studywiz is now used in 14 countries and has an established presence in China and the United States. In the US State of Maine alone, it services over 30,000 students.
Etech is leading the way with product innovation with its latest release, Studywiz 9.2, which contains over 200 new and improved features designed to further support personalised learning and accessibility. The package includes SIF compliancy (which enables student management systems to share data seamlessly with Studywiz); imported Timetable Integration (Timetable applications can now be imported into Studywiz) and Multi Skinpack Support to suit the needs of individual schools.
Ref: 070806-etech012-corporate release
###
