If you are looking for state-of-the-art, innovative learning systems, then ILLUMINAT is your partner for success. From primary, secondary and tertiary education to workplace learning, ILLUMINAT delivers integrated conventional education and e-learning technology solutions to the Region's public and private educational institutions.

Over the years we have forged strategic alliances with the world's foremost education technology software providers to develop a blueprint for the provision of these services to multiple and diverse user groups. We've also developed the Caribbean's leading education portal www.caribbeanedu.com.

Our Educational Solutions offering covers three main areas:

Technological Infrastructure
ILLUMINAT designs and builds reliable, end-to-end infrastructure solutions that provide the necessary tools for virtual learning environments.

Our solutions comprise all the components necessary for learners to easily access information and facilitate learning anytime, anywhere including:

• Networking
• Servers and Storage
• Personal Computers
• Mobile Computers/Notebooks
• Computer Lab Layout
• Internet Connectivity
• Web Portals, etc.
  

Process Management
We ensure that the right processes are developed and implemented to support effective learning. Our process management practice consists of pre-design consulting, project management and change management built on proven best practices applicable to the learning environment.

Knowledge Applications
We provide applications that are trusted by educators worldwide. From primary, secondary and tertiary education to the workplace, our wide range of state-of-the-art learning systems will ensure that your organisation achieves results in a rapidly changing learning environment.

Our ultimate focus in the Education Sector is to build a knowledge-based society for the territories utilising our solutions. We've therefore broken out our services in this sector into the following categories:

Procuring and Installing Technology
ILLUMINAT will work with you in the determining a decision-making framework to identify the type of hardware, operating systems and software conducive to school environments. This includes models for efficient, affordable, quality access to the Internet for schools. Such elements also seek to set student-computer ratio targets and technical support mechanisms.

Integrating Curriculum
Information Technology and Communications on its own has limited uses in the education and training system. Its intrinsic value lies in the integration of the technology to support and enhance learning and teaching in various subjects. ILLUMINAT identifies mechanisms and frameworks that encourage this integration.

Training Teachers to Use Information Technology and Communications
Teachers need to understand the application of ITC to support their teaching and administrative activities. ILLUMINAT suggests ways of improving teacher capacity in the use of ITC as well as their specific integration into teaching systems and pedagogical models. Our policy outlines the types of additional staff required to support computers and related technologies in the learning environment.

Ongoing Technical Support
The use of ITC in the education system requires different levels of technical support. Policies on utilising ITC in education needs identify the levels of technical support necessary and outline how those needs should be addressed. For example, the first line of technical support would need to be based within the school, which requires teacher training. Further technical support via help facilities, contracts with local technicians and companies could also be factored into policies.

Ongoing Curriculum Support
The ongoing support of teachers is crucial to enabling increased and better use of ITC. Such support would include how to integrate the use of these technologies when teaching different subjects. Policies in this area will also indicate to the teachers what is expected of them and the type of support they could expect.

Developing and Managing Content
The value of using ITC in the school system is best realised when appropriate content is developed and used to enhance and support learning, teaching, administration and management. This involves the production and consumption of local, relevant and appropriate education content through the multi-media application of ITC.

Implementing ITC in the education sector requires a substantial amount of money and skilled personnel. Therefore partnerships between government, private sector, development agencies, school communities and others are essential, and are particularly pertinent to the development of any policy documents.

These elements offer critical success factors for the use of ITC in the education system and are, therefore, necessary in any ITC in education policy. This contention has been corroborated by two recent studies on the experience with ITC application in African schools. Both studies acknowledge the above-mentioned factors and reiterate two key points:

• In matters of policy, while thinking big is important, it is equally important to implement on a smaller scale; and
• Champions and management matter.

Our educational solutions include:

• Strategic Technology Consulting
• Policy Design
• School and Student Management Systems
• IT Support for Schools and Tertiary Institutions
• Hardware Deployment
• Website and Portal Design and Hosting
• Network Design and Deployment
• Class-room Design
• Smart-School Design
• Digital Library Solutions
• Content Management
• Educational Software
• Office Productivity tools
• Training.

Our Integrated Solutions include:

• ILLUMINAT Enterprise
• NetSchools
• Website Development.

We provide these services to a host of entities in the Education Sector. Some of our customers include:

• The Ministry of Education Barbados
• The Ministry of Education Jamaica
• The Ministry of Education Trinidad and Tobago
• The University of the West Indies
• The University of Trinidad and Tobago
• College of Science Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT), Trinidad and Tobago
• Ministry of Science and Technology and Tertiary Education, Trinidad and Tobago
• The National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS), Trinidad and Tobago.

ILLUMINAT's Education Solutions also provides a comprehensive range of equipment and supplies to the Education Sector. We are an authorised reseller for several leading international technology companies including Acer, Apple, Compaq, Epson, Hewlett Packard and Proxima. In fact in 2000, ILLUMINAT was a proud recipient of the Computer Compaq Corporation Excellence Award for Sales to the Education Sector.

Furthermore, we are one of the major hardware solution providers for the 'Education Sector Enhancement Programme' in Barbados and the 'Primary Education Information Technology Programme' in Guyana.

For further information, click on our specific and cross industry solutions click on the side links, or visit our Product Centre at www.caribbeanedu.com/edu-central/Products/default.asp to view the range of Education Solutions hardware and software products currently offered by ILLUMINAT.