Education services provider launches software engineering hub

Tes, an international provider of software enabled education services, has today announced the creation of a software engineering hub in Sheffield.

Tes, which opened its office in St Paul’s Place in Sheffield city centre in 2018, already employs over 200 people in the city.

The new hub will employ a further 20 software engineers based in Sheffield.

Tes has been actively involved in many education and tech initiatives since arriving in the city, for example hosting the Hallam Festival of Education and being a major contributor to the “National Centre for EdTech Scoping Project” in partnership with fellow Sheffield residents Twinkl and the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority.

The Tes engineering hub will develop products to support teachers and schools, including timetabling tools, classroom management software and a platform for teacher development.

Anil Dave, head of production development at Tes, said: “It’s incredibly rewarding to know that something you’re working on could have such an impact on a teacher or a pupil’s day.”

Neil Brooks, the chief technology officer, said: “The new Tes development hub in the heart of Sheffield will create jobs and support an already growing EdTech industry.

“This shows the commitment that we have to Sheffield. Software engineers based in Sheffield are crucial to our future growth alongside our dedicated engineering hub in London. We want the brightest and best to embark on an engineering career with Tes in this city.”

Chris Dymond, from Sheffield Digital, said: “Sheffield has a rich history of EdTech research and development going right back to the days of multi-media and the creation of the first virtual learning environments, as well as an even longer tradition of innovation in teaching and learning.

“As a result of which there’s now a very substantial cluster of firms and practitioners, start-ups and agencies, based here and we’re absolutely delighted Tes has chosen to enrich this ecosystem yet further by establishing a dedicated engineering centre in the heart of the city.”

Joe Hockney, employer partnerships manager at Sheffield Hallam University, added: “We enjoy working with Tes and they are already one of our key partners in the tech sector.

“The creation of the Tes Engineering Hub here in Sheffield is wonderful news for the local region. As Tes develop their pipeline of diverse local tech talent, we’re excited about potential long-term career opportunities for our graduates and degree apprentices.”