The SEEL project is an EC-supported initiative, led by a trans-national consortium dedicated to the study of the impact of quality policies in e-learning at local and regional levels in order to:

• measure their influence on local and regional development - employment, innovation, competence development, etc. - and 
• to provide recommendations on quality assurance policies to the different stakeholders, and particularly to policy makers

An important part of the project has been to identify and recognise examples of good practice and it is the view of the Award panel that the work of the successful entries satisfies the principal criteria of the Award and is recognised as having made a significant contribution to the effective use of knowledge, information and learning technologies to support the development of learning regions and cities.

South Yorkshire e-Learning Programme (e-sy: Region of South Yorkshire)

The South Yorkshire e-Learning Programme is an outstanding example of how knowledge, information and learning technologies can be used to improve competence and knowledge at regional level. It is clear that the Region recognises the benefits that eLearning offers to individuals and organisation and the consequent impact that this should have on regional development in producing a workforce ‘equipped for the 21st century’.

Website: http://www.e-sy.info
Contact: christine.lewis@sheffield.gov.uk  

HERCULES, Region of Andalucia

An Internet Portal for Information on e-Learning for Vocational Trainers in Andalucia and an Online Programme for Training e-Learning Trainers

The Hercules Internet Portal is a good example of the use of knowledge, information and learning technologies for supporting regional development. The project is focusing on a particular professional sector - trainers - in order to achieve a cohort capable of using and promoting eLearning to develop the competencies of the broader population.  At the same time, the learning resources provided are designed to have an immediate impact in terms of awareness-raising among stakeholders across the Region.

Website: http://prometeo.us.es:8900    
Contact: Carlos Marcelo: marcelo@us.es    

National Inter-University consortium for Telecommunications (Italy) - Project Teledoctorate 2 

The Teledoctorate 2 project, which aims to build a complete eLearning service for PhD students of Italian universities, is a good example of how such a national initiative can respond to and serve regional needs. All Italian regions participate in the project and are able to benefit from the economy of scale offered. As each region has an academic and research centre that is specialised in specific fields and pursues high-level studies on specific topics, the project enables a high degree of inter-regional co-operation, creating in effect a regional/national community of practice to exchange cultural property, competencies and good practice.

Website: http://www.teledoc2.cnit.it 
Contact: o.andrisano@ieee.org

Strategy Blueprint (Region of Yorkshire and the Humber)

The Strategy Blueprint initiative is an excellent example of a well-structured learning resource designed to meet a real need: the up-skilling of the engineering sector the Region of Yorkshire and the Humber to produce business growth and to maintain competitiveness. The Region has made a large investment in the development, implementation and quality assurance of this programme. The programme is based on sound research into sectoral needs and has been thoroughly tested before roll-out. The initiative is mobilising a wide variety of stakeholders across the Region with an interest in promoting long-term economic development.

Website: http://www.strategyblueprint.com
Contact: Sue Fairest : sfairest@eef-sheffield.org.uk 

Quality for eLearning Regions and Cities Award 2005

The call for entries will shortly be announced.