07.17.03: E-Learning Gains Momentum

Projecting outward, Cortona Consulting says the e-learning market could reach $50 billion by the end of the decade.

"Like many sectors spawned from the emergence of the Internet, it has suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous forecasts, but all indications now point to a growing and vibrant sector," says eMarketer Senior Analyst Ben Macklin.

"This will be fueled by the current generation that has grown up with the Internet and video games," adds Macklin. "Though e-learning will never replace the classroom, these students will respond particularly well to online educational opportunities. Over time, they'll create new opportunities for e-learning in the workforce and the public sector." Indeed the number of public schools with Internet access in the US has grown significantly over the years, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Selected highlights from the E-Learning report include:

• The global education and training market totals $2 trillion as of 2001.
  
• The US share is $750 million (ThinkEquity Partners).
  
• The percent of US public schools with high speed Internet access rose from 56% in 1999 to 76% in 2002 (Market Data Retrieval).
  
• In 2004, over 1 million US K-12 students will be enrolled in a virtual school course (Peak Group).
  
• In 2002, US educational testing spending was a $925 million market. Online and computer-based assessment accounted for $50 million (Eduventures, Inc.).
  
• In the US, the K-12 academic sector was the largest in the e-learning market at $1.8 billion; higher education will rise to the top with $23 billion in 2006 and $44 billion in 2011(Brandon-Hall.com).
  
• The percent of training time delivered via e-learning in US organizations will rise from 10.5% in 2001 to 25% in 2004 (American Society for Training and Development).
  
• Japan's e-learning revenues will surge from 82.3 billion yen in 2003 to 198.5 billion yen in 2006 (Japan's Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications).
  
• Europe's corporate e-learning market totaled $1.5 billion in 2001 (Cortona Consulting).