A Te Awamutu tutoring business is seeing huge growth because of Covid, with an increasing number of adult students looking to their future.
While much of the Covid recovery talk has been around industries such as construction and primary production, Impact Tutoring founder Jean McKenzie says in the calendar year to January 2021 her business has more than doubled in size, with a significant boost from an online offering.
Adult students in some cases have been made redundant, but also include those still in work and seeking to broaden their options.
“A lot of adults are realising how important education is – that education is king, basically,”
McKenzie says.
“So they are wanting to protect themselves by gaining more knowledge and more qualifications.
“The interesting thing I find is it doesn’t matter whether they’re in Taupō, it doesn’t matter whether they’re in Canterbury, it doesn’t matter whether they’re in Dunedin, the conversations are still the same.”
Often the adult learners need to refresh their memory in things like how to write an essay.
“For example, a month or so ago, I had a guy call us from the outskirts of Canterbury. He lives in a rural area. He’s doing online university work, but he had a compulsory maths paper that for him was really difficult to manage.
“So he contacted us and I was able to put him in touch with my tutor in Kerikeri.”
Impact Tutoring now has five online tutors as well as those teaching face to face in its Te Awamutu hub, four of whom also tutor online.
Covid has also shown many parents the advantages of online learning.
“The kids themselves have always been comfortable with technology. And parents were forced to step aside, because that was the only way forward. And so what they’ve found is that it’s actually a really good way to learn, that online learning is actually accessible, and a way around lots of obstacles that were in place before.”
In some cases students in Te Awamutu are choosing to do their learning online because of the convenience.
The change, accelerated by Covid, has also seen the business growth model change, with a shift from setting up branches outside Te Awamutu to recruiting “outstanding” online tutors.
McKenzie has a range of tutors, from university students to qualified teachers and says the key when she is employing is the applicant’s values.
“Knowledge can be taught, but values can’t be so that’s what I’m always on the lookout for.”
Impact Tutoring is also developing online modules for families that may struggle to pay the cost of the face-to-face learning.
“Education just opens doors for people. That’s our focus all the time.”
Impact Tutoring was a finalist in the Innovation and Adaptation category of the Waipā Networks Business Awards.
