New Brunswick e-learning goes global

February 19 2002 - International trade shows are helping to generate business and jobs for New Brunswick-based e-learning firms on the global stage. The province's e-learning sector now has over 40 companies, 1,000 employees and $40 million in annual wages. In fact, New Brunswick currently delivers more online courses than anywhere else in the world and the province has the most comprehensive directory of online courses (50,000) on the Web.

"We have a large cluster of e-learning companies in this province," Business New Brunswick Minister Norman Betts said. "Because of their expertise and aggressive marketing techniques, they are developing a strong presence in the global market. They are banding together at international trade shows to provide total solutions to the corporate environment and it is paying off."

For example, three New Brunswick companies, Theorix and BKM Research & Development both of Moncton and Tritone of Fredericton, participated in the Canadian pavilion at the British Educational Training Technology exhibition conference held recently in London, England.

Theorix and BKM Research & Development both came away with a distribution agreement to do business in the United Kingdom. Theorix offers a complete learning content management system with multi-lingual possibilities. BKM Research & Development provides online technical training for corporations, government and academic institutions.

"The whole area of e-learning in the United Kingdom is growing rapidly and catching up to North America," said Francoise Roy, director of marketing for Theorix. "We see all kinds of opportunities to further establish our client base. Trade shows are a great means to get our product in front of the targeted buyer and to further develop business opportunities."

As another example, The On Line Learning Exposition, a key trade show held in Los Angeles, California last fall, featured 14 New Brunswick e-learning companies. There were 200 exhibitors and 5,000 were in attendance.

A recent survey showed that around $5-7 million worth of business was generated as a result of the Los Angeles show. This produced 50-70 full-time jobs in the province within the next year. Plans are now under way for the 2002 version of the OLL expo to take place in Anaheim, California.

"New Brunswick companies use state-of-the-art technology backed up by superior infrastructure and world-class telecommunications," Betts said. "For the past five years, our success in the field of e-learning has fuelled growth and produced strong results. Every venue we co-ordinate for our companies is used to raise New Brunswick's profile and increase business. The impact has been extremely positive."

Minister Betts said that embracing innovation and creating a more diversified, export-oriented economy are part of Greater Opportunity: New Brunswick's Prosperity Plan.

"Innovation is vital to New Brunswick's economic growth and development," Betts said. "It will determine our long term success in wealth and job creation. Improving our innovation capacity makes us more productive and more competitive in the global market and that means jobs, growth and prosperity for our province."