Banking sector-focused e-learning business Absolutely Training (AT) has received £250,000 of venture capital backing from The Capital Fund, as it seeks to expand its presence into the HR and legal sectors.

Founded in 2000, the company currently offers a range of online learning solutions to those operating in the investment and retail banking markets. Firms working in the financial services sector are obliged to follow the rules laid down by the Financial Services Authority. Thus they face considerable pressure to keep employees up-to-date with the latest regulatory changes. AT is among those helping to address this issue.

In five years, the company has carved quite a niche for itself, attracting a customer base of around 200 and listing Barclays Capital, VW Financial Services and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society amongst its clients.

Having established a strong reputation for itself in the finance sector, attention is turning elsewhere. AT’s intention is to use the money supplied by The Capital Fund to invest in personnel, technology and marketing. ‘We plan to enhance our existing offering and expand our e-learning solutions into other areas, such as continuing professional development training for the legal profession and training for HR professionals,’ founder and managing director Paul Fegan explains.