A small Sussex company has beaten off the might of the BBC to win two of the highest accolades in the UK training industry.

Above and Beyond, based in Ditchling Road, Brighton, picked up the prizes at the World of Learning Awards 2004 held in Birmingham earlier this month.

It's course, Ten Ways To Avoid Death by PowerPoint, was picked above a similar product offered by the BBC to win Generic Solution of the Year while company director Clive Shepherd scooped the Outstanding Contribution to the Training Industry Award.

Praising Mr Shepherd, who founded the company in October 2003, the judges said: "Spanning more than 20 years, Clive Shepherd's career has been devoted to the promotion and advancement of e-learning.

"A tireless innovator and communicator, with endless enthusiasm for technology-assisted learning, Clive's passion is now shared by hundreds of his readers, students, clients and colleagues."