Traditionally, in the English summer months, the words ‘Yorkshire v Sussex’ would conjure up not just epic, entertaining cricket matches but ones in which two almost opposing cultures battled it out for supremacy. Dour Yorkshire professionalism that asked and gave no quarter would take on the cream and epitome of southern England’s dilettante amateurs – from the home of CB Fry, Ranji, Ted Dexter and so on.

That ‘conflicting culture’ contest appears to be moving into the e-learning world with Yorkshire’s next step in its campaign to take over Sussex’s e-learning pre-eminence.

Creative Sheffield, the UK’s first city development company, is underpinning the city’s claim to be the e-learning capital of Europe by championing a new Digital Campus to house over 3,000 digital industry sector workers.

According to James Wilson, Creative Sheffield’s investment manager:  “Sheffield already has a larger number of e-learning companies than anywhere in the UK and more are being drawn to the city because of the depth of the talent pool. With the Digital Campus underway, we’re gearing up to attract even more e-learning companies to join leaders such as Kineo, LINE, Desq, The Workshop, Peakdean, the Ufi and a range of specialist studios to make Sheffield Europe’s e-learning hub.

“Sheffield’s e-learning status has been boosted recently with the opening of the new Kineo office, but we are also aiming to attract other organisations to join established companies such as Can Studios and Tribal.”

Comment: Kineo, in a ‘reverse Chris Adams move’ (it was Adams who, a few years ago, announced a move from Sussex CCC to Yorkshire CCC – only to immediately return to Sussex), began in Brighton but has now opened an office in Sheffield. Kineo – always pragmatic – now have a foot in both the Yorkshire and Sussex camps. Rumours circulate that, in general, e-learning companies based in the Brighton area (the traditional ‘home’ of corporate e-learning development houses) are having a hard time at present while the Yorkshire based companies – notably LINE and PeakDean – have never been busier.

Of course, cricket is a game played as much in the mind as on the pitch – as any dour Yorkshire professional knows. So, in the e-learning world as on the cricket pitch, could Yorkshire be indulging in some mind games – or is the ‘corporate e-learning crown’ on the move?