Chalk face

E.learning Age, Sep 2005

A BURNING ISSUE

Apoplectic is the only word to describe the reaction. It's fair to say that the Forum of Private Business (FPB), the pressure group for Britain's embattled private businesses, may have a point. The FPB is not best pleased with the latest idea emanating from the good old European Union. And indeed even Chalkface checked the date to ensure it wasn't an April Fool.

But no it seemed that the proposed EU Directive on optical radiation - appropriately discussed over the summer at the European Parliament - is the genuine thing. Under the directive all employers with staff working outdoors would be required to make daily 'risk assessments' of the levels of UV radiation to which their employees could be exposed.

The FPB - actually, perhaps more in sorrow than in anger - said business owners would shake their head in disbelief at how they could possibly comply with such technical and scientific red tape.

"Most businesses have neither the resources nor, more importantly, the expertise to undertake such scientific analysis,' said the FPB's chief executive Nick Goulding.

Goulding went on: "This directive requires an utterly unrealistic degree of technical and medical expertise that the vast majority of small owners simply do not have. Worryingly it could also open a legal can of worms for employers by creating uncertainty about legal liability in cases of diseases caused by exposure to natural sources of radiation."

Chalkface reckons the FPB shouldn't be too downhearted. seems like an ideal topic for elearning.

There may even be an EU grant available. Chalkface will definitely suggest the idea to our resident European guru Jane Massy.

AN EPIC TALE

Epic's takeover by the acquisitive Huveaux marks an end of a chapter. No doubt Epic will go on to bigger and better e-learning adventures within the new corporate structure. But there is a difference between independent companies and those within larger conglomerates. Still no doubt a few financiers of e-learning start ups will be admiring the fact that Epic in the last few years was throwing off more cash than it knew what to do with. The decision to press money back into the palms of the shareholders because it didn't know how to spend it is probably what first attracted Huveaux's attention.

According to the latest reports and accounts, Epic founder and e-learning guru Donald Clark, owned just under 10 per cent of the company.

As it was sold for a smidgen short of £23 million, even Chalkface can near enough work out - without the aid of a calculator - how much Mr Clark can expect for his stake. And good luck to him. More to the point for the e-learning industry what will he do? According to the company spokesman Mr Clark is staying on as a consultant but that won't be full time. So what next?