Colleges providing further education will now be able to benchmark their technology and IT learning practices against others using a new online tool.

The Generator is provided by Becta, the government agency that promotes the use of IT in education.

The tool offers the chance to see how technology can be used to aid teaching across a range of subjects with the use of hardware and software.

John Stone, chief executive of Learning Skills Network, who helped develop the tool, said he hoped it would benefit education providers for years to come.

"With it, learning providers will not only be able to assess their use of technology, but they can benchmark themselves against other providers and develop improvement plans," he said.

The tool was launched at Becta’s Next Generation Learning conference today where minister for further education, Siôn Simon MP, challenged leaders from colleges, work-based learning and adult learning organisations to step up their use of technology.

"I really want to see further education students enjoying the opportunities and benefits that technology offers. There are already excellent examples of learning technologies right across the sector, but I want to see more and better," she said.

"One practical source of support is Becta’s new online assessment tool, Generator, to help leaders in further education review and improve how technology is applied in their organisations. We need commitment from top management if the strategic importance of technology for learning is to be recognised."