Business focused internet service provider, Eclipse Internet, has chosen to invest in the future of one of its long standing employees by fully funding an MBA (Masters of Business Association) course to further advance skills as the Eclipse business grows.

Andrew Challis will be undertaking the demanding course over 2½ years, in addition to working full time at Eclipse. He joined the company over 5 years ago as a web developer, gradually moving up through the company to his current role as Software Services Manager. Additionally, he is part of the Senior Management Team at the Exeter-based company, which employs over 110 people.

The course, which Andrew started in October, is the 'One Planet MBA' at the University of Exeter; an MBA designed to specifically promote environmentally focused business leaders in the future. It is a course that is run in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund and is unique to the UK. The course consists of 4 days of lectures every 7-8 weeks, coupled with around 20 hours of study per week that is done in Andrew's own time, with various projects along the way.

Andrew Challis explains more about how the MBA will be of benefit: "I'm a very technical, hands-on person. I saw the MBA as a way to broaden my horizons in terms of business awareness as that's getting more and more important in my role at Eclipse. The aim for me is to turn myself into a more focused general manager for Eclipse with a technical side, rather than the other way around."

"Even though I have just started the course, I am certainly learning some new time management skills already as I try to balance work, the course and a social life. It is great working on a course with people from many other industries - legal for example. This is already giving me a different perspective and I am really confident that the course will develop both me as a person and my abilities within Eclipse. I'm really grateful to Eclipse for giving me this fantastic opportunity."

Managing Director of Eclipse, Clodagh Murphy, explains why the funding will be a wise investment: "It's an example of how we are approaching our future growth. One of our key statements is that our people develop and grow as the Eclipse brand prospers and as Andrew is a member of our senior management, this is particularly important."

"We don't always invest in monetary terms as we do a lot of in-house training, but in this case we felt it would be of huge benefit to the business in the long term. It will make Andrew grow in confidence in his own ability and business specifics. The course is a great blend of theory and practice, with much of the course based on real life situations. It's a great investment for us to make."

Eclipse have ambitious growth plans over the coming years, with customer involvement being central to this to ensure that future product developments offer real, tangible benefits to customers.

ENDS

About Eclipse Internet - http://www.eclipse.net.uk
Eclipse Internet is dedicated to supporting the technology needs of the UK's small, medium and micro businesses. It has been delivering reliable, flexible internet services to the SME market since 1995.The company offers a range of award-winning internet services, including broadband, e-mail, e-commerce, backup and hosting, which improve productivity and reduce costs. Eclipse Internet is regularly recognised in independent reviews as one of the best performing ISPs in terms of speed, reliability and customer service, and has been named as a recommended broadband provider by Which? for the fourth time in succession.

Based in Exeter, Eclipse Internet has a staff of over 110 people. The company was acquired by KCOM Group in 2004 and acts as an independent subsidiary.

For more information, please contact:
Jonathan Bennett
Eclipse Internet
+44 (0) 1392 335204
jonathan.bennett@eclipse.net.uk