edudo celebrates its 3rd birthday today!

edudo - the national work-based learning provider - marks its 3rd birthday since incorporation today with the launch of a new format website to celebrate and communicate what it does!

building a startup takes a long time: it's three years today since I first came up with the idea for a startup called edudo. along the way, I've learned a lot about running a business, from hiring our first team members to building a set of learning programmes that our learners tell us continually that they value.

After lots of successes and our fair share of the expected failures; five of the biggest lessons I've learned in the past three years, since founding edudo are:
1. solve a real problem
The most important thing for any startup, I guess, is to solve a real problem. Find something that is truly significant - a problem faced by lots of people. With edudo, the problem opportunity was to build a learning provider that would focus its energies, first and always, on improving life chances for its learners, if nothing else.
2. start somewhere
There's no way I would be doing what I'm doing now or that edudo would exist, if I hadn't taken that first step three years ago and if key others like Steve had not been prepared to join edudo and me for the journey. Despite prior experience, I was naive on so many levels about so many things start-up, but that certainly didn't stop edudo being born! The first step is to start somewhere. The road most definitely becomes a lot clearer as you go.
3. focus on the team
Building a team of great people who believe in and are willing to share your vision is essential to building a great company. It has taken a very long time to build the edudo team, but I am proud to declare we now have some of the best people in the sector and there would just be no edudo without them.
4. just don't listen to the naysayers
There are people who will tell you your idea or ambition is too big, or that it won't work or that you should get out when the going gets tough as it does sometimes in any start-up - as it has many a time in edudo! Just ignore them. Solving a big problem that we care about has keep us focused. If you have the vision and drive to make it happen, then just keep plugging away. Starting a company is a very journey. No one else will really care about your idea unless you can show them why you do.
5. build momentum
Whether it's with investors, press, or customers, don't spend your time trying to create a buzz around what you're doing. The real buzz will come naturally from just focusing on your customer and for edudo - it's our learners successes on a daily basis that get us out of bed, morning after morning.
thank you to all - our learners, employers, colleagues and most of all, our families (who have sacrificed time again & again) - that have made edudo what it is today!
at edudo, learning is, first and always, about improving life-chances. It's what people do when they want to make sense of the world!

david lett achieves highest NVQ level

david lett, a construction worker from Rochdale is celebrating after achieving one of the highest site-based NVQ qualifications in the sector.

david, who works as a site manager with global construction and engineering company, Laing O'Rourke, has been awarded Level 6 NVQ in Construction Site Management (Building and Civil Engineering Pathway) after completing a six-month course with edudo.

during the course David demonstrated his abilities in managing a team, controlling resources and planning, in addition to an awareness of environment and sustainability issues.

Of his qualification, David said: "It's a real point of pride for me to achieve Level 6, as it's a way of officially acknowledging all my years of experience and skills built up over that time. I would definitely recommend others in construction to go for one of these qualifications, as they make the work all the more rewarding and are recognised by the industry."

the award places David amongst a small but growing number of construction personnel in the UK who are taking personal development to a new professional level through post graduate degree equivalent qualifications.
the training was delivered by national vocational education provider edudo, which specialises in helping people to launch and then develop their careers.
managing partner at edudo Ronan Smith said: "Our association with David's learning and development within Laing O'Rourke first started with delivery of his Level 3 award some years ago. So his latest achievement is the well-deserved product of his many years in hands-on site management as well as the culture of commitment to learning and development that exists at Laing O'Rourke.
"Reaching this exceptional level of qualification offers great commercial advantage to both David and his employer, because they can rightly tell clients that they are the best in the sector."
tom shaw, head of learning and development, of Laing O'Rourke, said: "At Laing O'Rourke we place a great emphasis on the importance of investing in our people, whether that's through our various talent programmes, training and qualifications like David's and other development opportunities."
http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/1/business-news/88193/david-lett-achieves-highest-nvq
at edudo, learning is, first and always, about improving life-chances. It's what people do when they want to make sense of the world!

ambitious firm moves to brand new premises

a national work-led training provider edudo has relocated its headquarters to east Staffordshire as part of its ambitious growth plans.

edudo, which delivers vocational education to people both in work (edu@work) and out of work (edu4work), has moved to a converted farm building in Kingstanding, near Needwood.
the firm's 30-strong team of office- and field-based staff were formerly located at Castle Donington, in Leicestershire.
the move to the west midlands was made possible as part of an investment of more than £250,000 delivered by Birmingham-based venture capitalist Midven.
edudo managing partner Ronan Smith said: "We've been preparing for the move for several months, so the team were really excited to be finally handed the keys to our new site. "The offices provide space for us to grow the business and will help us to deliver vocational qualifications to more people.
the location is also great, as it means we're not commuting into a congested town or city in the morning and there is real scope within the building for us to develop the character and ethos of the business and embed our corporate values."
edudo was set up in 2011 by Mr Smith to deliver qualifications to people looking for work and those in work. these range from entry level Work Skills BTECs to post graduate equivalent NVQs.
http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/Ambitious-firm-moves-brand-new-premises/story-21468599-detail/story.html
at edudo, learning is, first and always, about improving life-chances. It's what people do when they want to make sense of the world!

skyguard equips edudo’s workplace tutors with MySOS personal alarms

tutors delivering education for an innovative national workforce development company have been equipped with Skyguard's MySOS device, to protect them whilst working alone.

edudo, which provides tailored work-led education courses to the unemployed and those in work, is thought to be the first company of its kind in the country to offer the state-of-the-art alarms to its employees.
the move is part of edudo's commitment to the welfare of its valued workforce and aims to protect lone workers in need of urgent support when faced with a learner who is displaying emotional, unpredictable or challenging behaviour.
the GPS enabled device allows staff to alert colleagues to issues, or send an SOS alarm to Skyguard's 24/7 Incident Management Centre. Here, trained Controllers can see the user's relevant information and location, talk to the user if safe to do so, and direct the emergency services to them. As Skyguard's service is certified to BS 8484 -- the British Standard for Lone Worker Monitoring Services, this allows the Controllers to bypass the 999 system for the highest police response, saving vital minutes in an emergency.
managing partner at edudo Ronan Smith said, "One of our top priorities as an employer is to look after the welfare of the edudo team. So it follows that lone working, finding yourself in unpredictable and challenging situations from time to time, personal safety is an issue we must take very seriously.
"Thankfully, none of the edudo team have ever been harmed or needed to contact the emergency services, but deploying Skyguard's system allows me to sleep a little easier, knowing that if one of our tutors or support staff needs assistance, professional support is only the touch of a button away."
Skyguard's Marketing Director, Will Murray, added: "We are delighted to be working with edudo in providing 24/7 support and backup to their lone working staff. The safety of employees in the workplace is often an afterthought in many organisations, so it's commendable that edudo have taken the lead on this in their industry."
all of edudo's field-based staff are undergoing training on how to use the multifunctional device, as an integral part of the company's lone working policy.
as the project has been implemented so successfully, edudo is now exploring the possibility of issuing the device to learners in order to protect them when travelling alone.
http://www.vigilance-securitymagazine.com/industry-news/5122-skyguard-equips-edudos-workplace-tutors-with-mysos-personal-alarms
at edudo, learning is, first and always, about improving life-chances. It's what people do when they want to make sense of the world!

safety devices for lone tutors

tutors delivering training for a workforce development company have been equipped with a lone work safety device. Staffordshire-based edudo, which provides courses to the unemployed (edu4work) and those in work (edu@work), is offering the MySOS device from Skyguard to its employees.

it's to protect lone workers when faced with a learner who is displaying emotional, unpredictable or challenging behaviour. The wearable device enables staff to alert colleagues to issues, or in extreme cases can send an alert to a monitoring centre operated by Skyguard, which can offer support or call in the emergency services.
managing partner at edudo Ronan Smith said: "One of our top priorities as an employer is to look after the welfare of the edudo team. So it follows that lone working, finding yourself in unpredictable and challenging situations from time to time, personal safety is an issue we must take very seriously. thankfully, none of the edudo team has in fact ever been harmed or needed to contact the emergency services, but the eduguard alert system allows me to sleep a little easier, knowing that if one of our tutors or support staff needs assistance, professional support is only the touch of a button away."
Skyguard's Marketing Director, Will Murray, added: "We are delighted to be working with edudo by providing 24/7 support and backup to their lone working staff. The safety of employees in the workplace is often an afterthought in many organisations, so it's commendable that edudo have taken the lead on this in their industry."
all of edudo's permanent lone workers in the field are going through dedicated training on the multi-functional device, which also has a 'fast dial' button, for staff to make contact directly with their line manager, to receive advice and guidance on personal safety, safeguarding and health and safety. The device is GPS enabled -- so it can transmit its exact location to the monitoring centre when the alarm is raised. Skyguard is also able to bypass the 999 system for a police response if required, due to its accreditations, saving time in an emergency. edudo is exploring the possibility of issuing the device to learners to help protect them when travelling alone.
http://www.professionalsecurity.co.uk/news/case-studies/devices-for-lone-tutors/
at edudo, learning is, first and always, about improving life-chances. It's what people do when they want to make sense of the world!

midven's EXCEED fund makes £500K investment in edudo

edudo secures investment funding rounds from venture capital specialist Midven.

the Exceed Fund, which includes LDC, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the European Regional Development Fund as investors, has provided growth backing totalling more than £500,000 for the two businesses.
edudo is a specialist vocational learning provider to the UK government and industry, and Edududes, based in the same area, specialises in the development of apps to assist work-based learning providers.
since its foundation in 2011, Edudo has enjoyed significant and early market growth, building out a national footprint in the delivery of vocational qualifications. To date, Edudo has already formally qualified and certificated more than 1,000 individuals.
the equity funds invested through Midven are intended to further accelerate the development and expansion of the company, which operates three divisions aimed at addressing different aspects of the vocational education sector for learners of all ages.
sister company Edududes was established in 2012 and has to date developer a range of online tools for end users, their employers and learning providers.
the two businesses are aiming to expand into the West Midlands in the near future.
ronan smith, founder and managing partner of both companies, said the two businesses were ready for rapid growth and Midven's investment would help move them onto the next level.
birmingham-headquartered Midven manages five funds representing £61m under management. The £18.4m Exceed Fund was established in December 2009 to invest in high-growth businesses in the West Midlands.http://www.insidermedia.com/insider/midlands/94534-midvens-exceed-fund-makes-500k-investment/
at edudo, learning is, first and always, about improving life-chances. It's what people do when they want to make sense of the world!