Avid education enthusiast, Yvette Hill and finance expert, Chris Hill, spotted a gap in the market for dedicated English and Maths tuition services.
In 2017, they decided to combine their respective experiences and opened The Kip McGrath Centre in Dundee, part of a successful franchise of 560 global centres.
The centre currently employs seven fully qualified teachers who each specialise in English or Maths and it welcomes students from a broad geographical range including the Highlands, Angus and Fife.
Teaching in primary, secondary and additional support needs (ASN) schools throughout the central region of Scotland, Centre Director Yvette has a passion for delivering high-quality education to children. She holds postgraduate qualifications in both autism and in language and communication impairment in children (LACIC) and sees the centre as the ideal way to deliver tailored educational support to those who need it.
Looking to gain a fresh perspective on taking their business to the next level, Yvette and Chris successfully applied to join Elevator’s 12-week Dundee Programme in March 2020. However, just three weeks into the programme, the unanticipated chaos and turmoil of the COVID-19 global pandemic struck. Fortunately, the programme content was quickly adapted by Dundee Accelerator Manager, Cat Ward, and sessions continued online.
Commenting on her accelerator experience, Yvette said: “I owe my complete gratitude to all the Elevator staff - particularly Cat Ward and Andy Campbell, and the agitators who made this journey so special. We had multiple beneficial chats which provided sound advice to help us focus on what is truly important. Chris and I will be forever grateful we were accepted into this fantastic programme.”
In the midst of the coronavirus lockdown, Chris and Yvette were forced to adapt and they too shifted all students to an online learning environment. By responding to the closure of schools and pivoting their strategy, the business saw a sharp increase in the volume of enquiries, assessment requests and new students. By demonstrating the importance of business agility during uncertain times, they now hope to capitalise on this period of growth and scale the business further.
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