ICS Learn
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| ICS logo | |
| Industry | Education |
|---|---|
| Founded | London (UK 1890, US (incorporated) 1901) |
| Headquarters | , UK, Canada, USA |
| Products | Distance Learning Courses |
| Website | www.icslearn.co.uk |
International Correspondence Schools (ICS Learn) is perhaps the oldest educational institute that provides correspondence and distance learning courses. ICS Learn was established in 1890 in the UK (under the registration number "LONDON 898 213"). In 1890 the first student was enrolled on a formal course and International Correspondence Schools was later incorporated in Scranton at 1901. The USA branch of ICS has recently been renamed to Penn Foster Career School but it still works under the initial name in the UK and Canada.
ICS Learn is a pioneer in teaching skills by home study, presenting the opportunity to learn while earning and to relate study to everyday work. Their mission is to make learning as accessible as possible, aiming to allow people to gain the skills, training and education they want, in a way that offers them complete flexibility.
ICS Learn is part of Cengage Learning, which provides learning solutions to businesses and institutions, as well as individuals. This relationship provides access to the latest technology and teaching methods that offer the most effective ways to study.
Over 13 million people have benefited from learning with ICS Learn. Today, from their head office in Glasgow, Scotland, ICS offer over 150 courses, covering a variety of subjects including business, child care, construction, IT systems, web design, project management, education, and hospitality management to name a few. ICS also offer a variety of qualifications spread over a range of levels of study. With degrees in Law, Psychology, Business, Health and Social Care and Education and professional qualifications, offered in association with a number of professional institutes, the range of courses ICS offer is extensive.
Qualifications Provided by ICS Learn
Through ICS Learn, students can achieve a number of qualifications ranging from GCSEs and A Levels to Degrees. They also offer a full range of vocational qualifications enabling students to gain necessary skills in Child Care, Business, Retail, Construction, Trade and Engineering, and Hospitality and Travel.
A full list is available at the although their main faculties are:
• GCSEs and A Levels
• Degrees
• Professional
• Vocational
• IT
• Creative and Interest
Professional Bodies
ICS Learn works with a number of Professional Bodies and Institutions to offer a range of Industry Qualifications. Some of the Institutions that ICS Learn currently works with and offers qualifications in association with are listed below. ICS has held long relationships with these organizations and continues to work closely in order to provide excellent support and information for ICS students.
• Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
• Chartered Institute of Marketing
• Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
• Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply
• PRINCE2
• ifs School of Finance
• City and Guilds of London Institute
• Business And Technology Education Council (BTEC) courses
• Microsoft
Teaching Methods and Innovative Learning
The teaching methods endorsed by ICS Learn range from hard paper copies delivered directly to the student to a number of online resources that enable the student to access learning resources from their PC at home or at a library. Most courses provided by ICS are supplied via paper-based learning materials that consist of several units that each student will complete as they progress through the course. Once they have completed a module they are then sent the following module.
ICS Learn has also recently invested in online resources that enable their students to access up-to-date journal articles, hold online discussions with other students, respond to surveys, and to access their tutors should they have any queries or questions they need answering.
Course are now being created that are supplied via a number of different mediums. Rather than accessing their course materials via paper-based ringbinders, a new Certified Ethical Hacker course is provided pre-loaded on an iPod so the student can really begin to learn on-the-move, wherever they are. A second new course, IT Career Starter, comes pre-loaded on a Lap-top, included in the price, which the student can then use to complete their coursework. It is through these innovative learning methods that ICS has consolidated its position as the Pioneer of Home Learning.