The founder of an听EdTech听start-up believes that universities and employers need to look beyond exam results to find true talent.听
Former teacher Ben Mason describes听globalbridge听as a 鈥榤ix between Facebook and LinkedIn for education鈥� and says the recent furore over A-levels highlights the pitfalls of relying exclusively on exam results.听
Last week the听government did a U-turn by saying A-level and GCSE students in England will be given grades estimated by their teachers rather than by an algorithm.听听
However听it鈥檚 left thousands of students struggling to find university places for the current academic year and Mason says it underlines a major flaw in the system which he says听globalbridge听is trying to fix.听
As a teacher he became听increasingly aware of the disconnect between industry and education and launched听globalbridge听in 2017 to allow young people to showcase their talents that exam grades can鈥檛 do on their own.听
He said: 鈥済lobalbridge is using technology to level the playing field and overcome the limitations of a system which, to date, has relied heavily on personal connects to open the doors to opportunities for young people鈥�听
鈥淏uilt by teachers who have experienced the barriers young people face,听globalbridge听is well placed to support an education system post-Covid to ensure an opportunity guarantee for all young people.鈥�听
globalbridge听finished fourth in听叠耻蝉颈苍别蝉蝉颁濒辞耻诲鈥檚听North East Tech 50 ranking for 2019.听
The company launched an app six weeks ago and provides a multimedia digital profile for life which enables students to showcase their talents beyond grades alone. It enables them to safely access future opportunities in FE, HE, apprenticeships and employment.听
Explaining how it works he said: 鈥淲e provide students and young people with a digital multi-media profile to evidence their skills and qualifications.听
鈥淔or听example听if someone says they鈥檙e fluent in French,听globalbridge听will show a video of them speaking in French. If you鈥檙e a grade eight听pianist听the platform will show evidence of you playing a piano.听
鈥淲e鈥檝e built this knowing that the education system is not fit for purpose in a digital age.听
鈥淎s a teacher I became frustrated by the fact that students were judged only by a piece of paper. These days our young people are living on Instagram and social media but when they apply to universities or UCAS they鈥檙e judged on their grades and a听4,000 character听personal statement. Young people are slipping through the net.鈥�听
The 43-year-old had the idea for听globalbridge听while working as a secondary school teacher for 16 years and said students can attach a URL link to their UCAS personal statement.听
globalbridge provides a digital record of achievement to allow young people to showcase their full range of talents and that they are more than a list of grades.听
The platform also enables employers with a way to engage with education and recruit talent based on their skills, talents, aspirations and qualifications.听
It also allows universities to engage a much wider group of young people, removing many of the barriers that exist.听
Mason said: 鈥淎s a teacher I know how universities come into school to do presentations to engage with schools that were spitting out the type of talent they were looking for.听
鈥淭he way听globalbridge听is working is to allow universities to engage with talented people earlier to present them with the opportunities that exist at their universities. It鈥檚 all about engaging with young people earlier.鈥�听
During Covid-19 an extra 15,000 students signed up the platform, which can now reach 120,000 students.听
globalbridge employs six people and has been through three funding rounds.听
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