EdTech Start-up Persona Education Secures Funding From Innovate UK
Press Release
Bristol, UK, 6th November 2020
Persona Education will receive a portion of Innovate UK’s Sustainable Innovate Fund, to further develop its web app for schools and colleges, which aims to boost wellbeing and employability for teenagers, using a unique personality insights framework.
Image: Persona Education's web app Persona Life Skills
Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £191 million to fund single and collaborative research and development projects as part of the Sustainable Innovation Fund over the next two years. The aim of these competitions is to help all sectors of the UK rebuild after the effects of COVID-19.
Bristol-based start-up Persona Education, on a mission to boost wellbeing and employability of young people globally, will receive £100,000 to further develop its life skills e-learning platform. This is the second time Persona Education has been awarded a sought-after Innovate UK grant this year.
The e-learning platform, Persona Life Skills, for young people aged 13-19, employs an engaging learning journey built around a scientifically proven framework. Wrapped in a metaphor of exploring an archipelago of islands representing different life challenges, Persona’s pedagogy is rooted in large scale empirical research by behavioural scientists.
What makes Persona Life Skills unique is the personality insights framework at its heart, guiding students to know themselves, understand others, and adapt their thinking, communication and behaviour to achieve positive outcomes in different situations. The platform is continually being developed with input from school inspectors, headteachers, pastoral leads and pupils.
Persona Life Skills offers a scaffolded, age appropriate e-learning curriculum, building over 20 life skills that tie in with PSHE/SRE themes, as well as Ofsted, ISI, Skills Builder, IB Learner Profile and Gatsby benchmarks.
The platform is 100% web-based, designed to be delivered in lessons or tutor groups at school, or via online home learning. With no downloads or installation needed, any teacher can facilitate the learning. Students can also sign in anytime to review work or complete tasks.
Persona Education CEO & Founder Pete Read said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive a second grant from Innovate UK to continue improving the Persona Life Skills web app. This means we can take the platform to a whole new level of personalised learning, with even greater wellbeing and employability benefits for students and schools, at a time when many pupils are struggling to deal the impact of a second wave of COVID-19.”
Innovate UK Executive Chair Dr Ian Campbell said: “In these difficult times we have seen the best of British business innovation. The pandemic is not just a health emergency but one that impacts society and the economy.
“Persona Life Skills, along with every initiative Innovate UK has supported through this fund, is an important step forward in driving sustainable economic development. Each one is also helping to realise the ambitions of hard-working people.”
The Persona Life Skills web app is now available for schools and colleges to trial for three months free of charge, with any number of students (age 13+). To find out more, visit www.persona-life.com.
ENDS
About Persona Education Ltd
Persona Education is a UK based edtech start-up developing life skills solutions for secondary and tertiary students, and educational institutions. Its web and mobile e-learning apps are built around a scientifically proven personality insights framework, that is social, practical and memorable. For further information contact info@persona-life.com or +44 (0)117 313 2897.
About Persona Life Skills
Persona Life Skills is an e-learning platform for schools and colleges that uses personality insights to help teenagers navigate their life journey. The scaffolded, age appropriate curriculum guides students in building over 20 life skills that map to Ofsted, ISI, Skills Builder, IB Learner Profile, AS Tracking, VIA Character and Gatsby benchmarks. For further information contact info@persona-life.com or +44 (0)117 313 2897.
