Ufi Ltd is the organisation responsible for learndirect, the largest government-backed supported e-learning initiative in the world, learndirect advice and UK online.

Ufi was established in 1998 by the current government to take forward the concept of a “university for industry”. Its mission is to use e-learning to boost the employability of individuals and the productivity and competitiveness of organisations.
Ufi’s remit from government is to provide high quality post-16 learning which:

• Reaches those with few or no skills and qualifications who are unlikely to participate in traditional forms of learning;
• Equips people with the skills they need for employability, thereby strengthening the skills of the workforce and increasing productivity;
• Is delivered innovatively through the use of new technologies.

To achieve this Ufi aims to inspire existing learners to develop their skills further, win over new and excluded learners and transform the accessibility of learning in everyday life and work.

Through its network of over 2,000 learndirect centres in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 6,000 UK online centres in England, Ufi provides access to a range of e-learning opportunities and e-government services.

Ufi also runs a government funded national learning advice service which offers impartial information, advice and guidance, either over the phone or via its website, on more than 700,000 courses from hundreds of providers nationwide. Since its launch in 1998 it has taken more than six million calls and there have been more than 12 million hits on the website.

learndirect’s flexible learning is available to individual adults wanting to improve existing skills or to learn new ones, and to employers looking for an innovative way to develop the skills of their workforce. Since its launch in 2000 over 1.4 million learners have enrolled on almost three million learndirect courses. learndirect offers more than 550 different courses covering a range of subjects, including management, IT, Skills for Life and languages, at all levels. More than three quarters of the courses are available online allowing people to learn wherever they have access to the Internet – at home, at work or at a learndirect centre.

Ufi works collaboratively with thousands of national and regional partners to deliver learndirect and UK online services.

In addition to the three funding and planning bodies – Learning and Skills Council in England, Education and Learning Wales and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland - partner organisations include government departments, Regional Development Agencies, Small Business Service, Confederation of British Industry, TUC, Further Education colleges, private training providers, voluntary and community sector organisations and Higher Education Institutions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

For further information about Ufi and learndirect, visit www.ufi.com or www.learndirect.co.uk.