Europe has now entered the 21st century, a century marked by rapid social and economic developments. Globalization, the pursued economy of knowledge (Lisbon 2000) and constantly changing and updated social structures, are creating new trends and needs. All this inevitably leads to a greater complexity of work organization and a proliferation of roles that must be fulfilled by employees. As a result, the range of knowledge and skills needed in the workplace will continuously be expanded and renewed (the mid-life point of knowledge at the end of the 20th century had reached 3 years, Bentlage 2002).

In Greece, the challenge is twofold. On one hand our country must bridge the "knowledge gap" which separates it from the rest of Europe (the fifth convergence criterion for Greece, Lisbon 2000); on the other, it has to keep up with the rapid pace of the European Region. The Greek Economy and Greek society as a whole are called upon to become more competitive and dynamic, in accordance with international standards. In this direction, there will be a need for “new”' individual skills such as lifelong learning ability, adaptability, tolerance towards others, teamwork, the ability to solve problems and to take risks, independence of thought, etc. Those not prepared for these changes will run the risk of being excluded from society and the labor market in future. 

Our tactical response to the above mentioned developments, was to create the i-learn holding company (1999) with the purpose of gradually covering different areas and aspects of the continuing education of employees in Greek enterprises. We started off in the field of Basic Information Technology and Communications (ITC) Skills which we offered up to 2009 through the New Horizons, Inc Franchise System. We continued with international collaborations with practically all major Technology providers (Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Oracle, Sun, CompTIA, Linux and others); we developed a repertoire of Business and e-learning solutions, marking a new beginning for our country in the field of Certified Education. Locally and internationally, the name i-learn (formerly New Horizons Hellas and Cyprus) has become synonymous with high quality in all components of the educational process: instructors, educational material, facilities (total quality certification).

We move forward with the conviction that high quality “Life Long Education” is a necessary condition for the survival and growth of our country.

Michael Galouzidis
President
i-learn Group