Education in 2023: primed for franchisee fulfilment

The new year is right around the corner. And while the academic year is already well underway, educators all over the world are eagerly anticipating a fresh start with revised goals and focuses to stimulate and inspire students. It’s because of this that the prospect for entrepreneurs to join the education industry has never been quite so alluring, as the future of the education landscape is yet to be written. Here, Frank Milner, the President of Tutor Doctor, discusses what the education industry can expect from 2023 and why it presents the ideal opportunity for entrepreneurs to truly make a difference.

We no longer live in a world where it’s quite as simple as ‘education, education, education’. In fact, ‘officially’, the world is still learning how to cope and deal with a pandemic-induced global learning crisis, as reports suggest students are still eight months behind in learning¹. While this situation may not be quite as visible as it was 12 months ago, it’s still very much a priority to help children and students return to operating at a capacity that’s comparable to pre-pandemic levels. And with 2023 being the first year since the pandemic that students will be sitting ‘standard format’ examinations, it’s imperative that they have every resource available ahead of exam season to prepare them for what the last two-and-a-half years, arguably, hasn’t. As such, high quality, attentive and personalised education provision has never been so in-demand, with students requiring closer support than ever.

But the definition of ‘education’ is no longer just about achieving academic success, as in 2023, educators will continue to have the privilege of developing students’ executive function skills and confidence. It’s this increased complexity that’s driving a new generation of passionate entrepreneurs-come-education specialists to leave their mark. Education franchises have the unique responsibility of bridging the gap between academia and nurturing the personal goals and ambitions of students all over the world. At Tutor Doctor, for example, we’re seeing an increased number of prospects join the network because of the development of the X-Skills programme, a specially designed tool to help franchisees nurture students’ executive function skills in tandem with academics. X-skills will be officially launched in 2023, and it has never been so timely for personal, bespoke education franchises to ‘take the bull by the horns’ and lead the way in becoming the authority on executive function education.

The pandemic alerted us to the magnitude of the mental health crisis. In fact, an alarming 20% of adolescents are currently experiencing mental health problems². And since Ofsted found that the pandemic caused lower levels of resilience and confidence in students³, 2023 is primed to welcome a new outlook for educators. Similar to the rise of executive function education, we know students will never learn effectively unless they have access to real safe spaces and council. So, nurturing the overall health and wellbeing of students is a top priority, and supporting students in developing their understanding of mental health will continue to be a focus of the curriculum for years to come.

With the focus shifting, it’s understandable that the demand for personalised, safe and trusted tuition provision has increased in the UK. Tutoring enrolments in the UK are up by 24% this year, highlighting how, as the responsibility for tutors and educators grows, more students and families are turning to supplementary services for support. What makes Tutor Doctor so unique is how much we champion those who turn to us. Our franchisees are not only passionate about education, but are driven by the prospect of making a real difference to the lives of those in their communities. 2022 has seen franchisees practice what we preach, and through close engagement with local charities and striking partnerships with schools, we are truly changing the trajectory of students’ lives. 2023 is primed for Tutor Doctor to continue our own trajectory of becoming THE leading personal tutoring franchise.

_{¹McKinsey & Company, 2022, How COVID-19 caused a global learning crisis}

_{²Mental Health Foundation, 2022, Children and young people: statistics}

_{³Ofsted, 2022, Education recovery in schools: spring 2022}