BBC Learning wants to strengthen its relationship with education resources companies in the commercial sector. We aim to provide more information about our activities and plans, cultivate an atmosphere of openness, seek opportunities for joint working and offer an open playing field to all companies.

To that end, we have agreed with the BBC Trust a number of measures. We will:

• Hold meetings twice a year to discuss past performance and headline plans
• Have a specialist presence at BBC Knowledge commissioning meetings for independents
• Publish the key challenges and priorities for online formal learning in the Statement of Programme Policy for BBC Online
• Publish online:
• Breakdown of the headline Online Formal Learning budget into planned spend on under-19s elements and on adult and other formal learning
• Comparisons between planned spend and projected outturn in the previous year
• Indication of the areas where any planned increase or significant reallocation in spend for under-19s will be targeted
• Publish audited figures for spend outturns at the end of each financial year
• Make more of our research data (market and academic) publicly available
• Seek opportunities for joint working with industry where appropriate

BBC Learning holds two sessions each year open to any companies with an interest in Learning's work. These are an opportunity for independent production companies or for those with a more general interest in Learning's activity to hear about our plans for the coming period.

The next sessions will be held on the 25th May at the Lowry Theatre, Salford. The first meeting will be aimed at educational publishers and distributors and will be held between 11am-1pm. The second meeting will be a commissioning meeting for independent producers and will be held between 2.30pm-4.30pm. These meetings provide an opportunity to find out more about BBC Learning's plans for the coming year and we will also be sharing more information about the new Knowledge and Learning Product.

Presentations from previous sessions can be found here:

• 3rd October 2011, London (TVC)
• 7th October 2011, Salford (MediaCityUK)
• 15th April 2011, London (TVC)
• 29th October 2010, London (TVC)