Who We Are and What We Do

Axia Digital is a market leader in the development of e-portfolio systems. The company has been trading since 1997 and, for the last 22 years, we’ve focused on e-portfolios. Using our NOW.net platform, we deliver customised systems which help organisations to capture and assess skills and competencies for the purpose of professional development of employees and learners in higher education.

We work with a many different organisations and awarding bodies both inside and outside of the UK. Our systems currently have approximately 1.3 million users worldwide and we pride ourselves on our ability to deliver fully flexible systems which cater directly to the needs of our customers.

Axia Digital logo

Core Values

Four core values underpin our company culture and are inherent in everything we do. Throughout the life of the company, we’ve always maintained and adhered to these values.

Innovation

Our customers consistently cite this as the top attribute when describing Axia Digital as a company. We adopt a holistic approach to assist customers, offering a diverse range of tools and services alongside our e-portfolio solutions. Many of these tools are created in collaboration with our customers.

Technical Excellence

We regularly win business because of our focus on continuous technological improvement and willingness to adapt proven solutions to accommodate the specific requirements of our customers. Axia Digital’s learning technology is among the most advanced available and is admired by other technology companies which we work with due to its unique benefits.

Commitment to Customers

Our customers consistently tell us how much they value our openness, flexibility, ‘can-do’ attitudes, and the excellence of our customer service. We’re committed to maintaining strong relationships with customers, prioritising honesty, teamwork, and the delivery of projects on time and in budget.

Ethics and Integrity

We’re fully committed to enhancing standards in vocational and professional education across organisations of all sizes, irrespective of resources or stature. We take great satisfaction in our ability to provide low-cost yet technically advanced solutions that are valued and respected by our customers.



our platform our customers

27 years of experience

Fully flexible systems

1.3m Users worldwide

Company History

Forming The Company

Formed in 1997 as Citizen Connect Ltd, the company shared premises with Lifeskills International, experts in aligning human resource management to business goals, for enhancing organisational performance.

Citizen Connect’s first major contract was with UFI/Learndirect, who commissioned the development of “Learndirect futures”. This was among the earliest online tools designed to empower individuals in making informed decisions about their future career. The project was based upon the work of our then chair Dr. Barrie Hopson and Mike Scally, and included an action planning tool and a portfolio.

Adopting The Name “Axia”

Shortly after the initiation of this project, Axia Netmedia Corp. acquired both Lifeskills International and Citizen Connect Ltd. The company headquartered in Calgary, Canada, and was responsible for running the Alberta SuperNet. This was a major development in Alberta which allowed our developers to learn about creating robust and resilient internet structures. It’s also where the company inherited the Axia name and became Axia Digital.

Development of The NOW.net Platform

The business’ next major contract was with the Royal College of Nursing. The RCN requested an e-portfolio to allow all of its members to evidence their commitment to professional development. At the time, this was considered to be one of the largest e-portfolio projects in Europe.

The UFI/Learndirect and RCN contracts were both major projects with substantial budgets. They enabled the company to pursue a major technological breakthrough, leading to the creation of the NOW.net platform. This platform facilitates rapid and cost-effective site development, enabling customer expansion. Fortunately, this breakthrough came just before the technological boom, which ultimately resulted in a dramatic reduction in available funds.

Change of Ownership

In 2006 our former parent company made the decision to focus on the development of major broadband networks and, after a short period of ownership under our former managing director, the company was subject to a management buy-out. A number of those working in or associated with the company became major shareholders. Then in 2014 the VIA partnership brought the shares of non-executive directors and became the majority shareholder until they unfortunately went into administration. Thankfully, this had no impact on Axia because the companies operated separately.

In May 2016 VIA’s shares were purchased by Richard Etheridge (Managing Director) and Chris Peat (Chair), who both have long-standing involvement with the company and are dedicated to its ongoing success.

The Company Today

Today Axia Digital’s board involves Richard Etheridge as Managing Director, Chris Peat as Chair, and Paul Chubb as non-executive director and company secretary.

Frequently Asked Questions

E-assessment involves the use of digital technology to administer, deliver, and evaluate assessments, replacing traditional paper-based methods. By completing assessments electronically, users benefit from more comprehensive feedback and engagement. Applying this versatile approach to various assessment processes yields enhanced outcomes.

CPD stands for Continuous Professional Development. It is the ongoing process of learning, improving skills, and staying up-to-date in one’s professional field. It involves activities and experiences which professionals engage in to enhance their knowledge and maintain competence.

Competencies are the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attributes that individuals possess. In the context of e-assessment, competencies are usually certain specified requirements which professionals have to achieve in order to receive certification or accreditation.

Digital logs record information such as assessment details, test-taker responses, scores, time stamps, and system interactions. They provide a comprehensive record of the assessment process for analysis and verification purposes. They replace traditional physical logbooks, offering a more efficient and accessible way to electronically document and track information.

A Skills Passport is a record that highlights an individual’s skills, qualifications, and experiences. It serves as a portable and comprehensive record of an individual’s capabilities, making it easier to showcase their competencies to employers, educational institutions, or professional organisations.

We use the term “members” to describe the users of our sites. Customers may also refer to them as “students”, “trainees”, or “interns”, based on their preferences. These individuals represent the primary users of our systems, responsible for logging information onto the sites.

NOW.net is the name of our core platform, onto which we deploy all the sites we build. The company developed NOW.net to facilitate quicker and more cost-efficient site development.

Get in Touch

Contact us today via the form below or call us on 01924 516830.