Vital end to worldwide search After searching the world, Cambridge ESOL, a division of Cambridge University, has chosen a New Zealand technology company as its partner to take English language online and blended courses to market.

Vital English, a joint venture between Auckland e-learning company Intuto and Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec), joins a prestigious and growing list of local companies exporting technology.

Richard Warren, CEO of Intuto and Vital English, says they are very proud to have formed a business relationship with the world's most prestigious university (QS World University Rankings 2010) and in doing so become the only external company ever to have worked with Cambridge ESOL.

"When Intuto was contacted by Cambridge ESOL to discuss working with them we were very excited. We knew that Intuto's course authoring tools ('CATS') and the educational expertise of Wintec would be equal to any requirements placed in front of us."

Cambridge ESOL started the search for a technology partner more than two years ago and had people anonymously trialling courses from all over the world. "Vital's courseware was even sampled through a language school in Canada by a Cambridge agent based in France!" says Warren.

One initial project, for the development of an online IELTS (International English Language Testing System) course, expanded to four separate projects: online and blended courses for both IELTS and BULATS (Business Language Testing Service).

Since those four projects have been started, Vital English has won another seven projects with Cambridge ESOL in competitive tender. These range from online and blended BULATS speaking tests to applications for iPhone and iPad.

"Our long term relationship with Cambridge ESOL is not based solely on course construction contracts," Warren points out. "We share revenue from distribution of the products and Cambridge ESOL is also looking at other Intuto systems for possible application in the future."

Warren attributes the success thus far to the excellence of the product, co-operation between a tertiary institution and private enterprise, and the support of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

"The enthusiastic support of Wintec together with help from NZTE, have certainly helped make this dream a reality," he says.