Open Mind helps eke out trainers’ budgets

As the financial year-end looms, training managers with money left in their budgets are often faced with the threat of ‘use it or lose it’.

In the area of e-learning, training videos, DVDs and learning resources in general, there are many bargains to be had as suppliers cash in on this annual ‘year-end spend’ with special offers and money-saving deals. But what about those training managers who would prefer to save their budget and carry it forward to use when a real need arises or when they can devote more time to selecting what they want?

Open Mind, the UK’s largest distributor of learning resources, offers its clients a Budget Account service, by which they can deposit funds and draw on them to purchase training products during the next financial year. Among the advantages of opening a Budget Account with Open Mind is access to free previews of the latest learning resources as they are published, as well as a free ‘activity pack’ from Open Mind containing inventive and imaginative ideas for training activities.

Alun Harvey, director of Open Mind, explained: “Our clients can preserve their valuable budget until they have a particular training need and then we can advise them on the most suitable learning resources to meet that need. In addition, clients receive a discount on all purchases from our Online Store and can still take advantage of any special offers throughout the year.

“Investing in a Budget Account means that our clients get the maximum value from their training budget.”

Because Open Mind is independent and sells products from more than 100 producers – including all the UK’s top learning resource producers – clients do not have to commit to buying a particular brand or format. They can buy any resources from books and games to DVD and e-learning programmes.

Customers can browse Open Mind’s recently revised website - www.openmind-learning.co.uk - to check out over 4,000 titles from 130 producers, indexed against 160 topics such as diversity; performance coaching; languages; IT, literacy; numeracy; health & safety. Those who are only interested in the latest learning resources can find them listed on a special page of the site; while other pages list over 500 special offers, allowing customers to buy learning resources at bargain prices.

Visitors to the Open Mind site even have the chance to win a new, state-of-the-art 30Gb video iPod.

Harvey said: “With so many titles in our catalogue, clients can be sure of finding the right training solution. This is particularly suitable for a Learning Resource Centre, for example, where resource needs are wide-ranging and on-going.

“Several of our clients top up their Budget Account during the year – say once a quarter – enabling them to continue to take advantage of our discount scheme.”

Budget Account holders also receive regular updates on new products and special offers, as well as specialist advice on finding suitable learning materials in all media.

For further details of Open Mind Budget Accounts, contact Alun Harvey at Open Mind on 01491 411061 or alun@openmind-learning.co.uk

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Notes for Editors:

About Open Mind
Formed in 1991, Open Mind distributes and develops resources to help organisations to develop their people. As such, it provides customers with broad access to over 10,000 learning resources in all forms of delivery media and is frequently referred to by customers as the ‘Trainers’ Toyshop’.

Open Mind also offers:
• Free independent advice on
• Selecting from over 10,000 titles from 100 publishers - in all media – on any business topic
• Selecting appropriate resources to fit clients’ budgets
• A free Preview Centre facility
• Practical help with establishing – or re-launching - managing and marketing a Learning Resource Centre (LRC)
• The STAR intranet-based Learning Centre Management System to manage LRCs
• An online directory of resources, allowing users to search and view on-screen details of over 5,500 titles on 200 topics from more than 100 publishers – and purchase securely online

Further information from:
Alun Harvey, Open Mind, 01491 411061
Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, 01727 860405

www.openmind-learning.co.uk