Altrincham’s Yipiyap has expanded its team to respond to record growth, appointing two former student tutors as full time employees.
Matthew Dagnall from Sale joins the education business as Head of IT and Innovation after graduating from Leeds University. He will be ensuring the smooth day to day running of the company’s IT infrastructure as well as managing and delivering bespoke IT projects for the business.
Michael Bauer, who lives in Chorlton, has been appointed Continuous Improvement Director and will be responsible for assisting schools with the integration and development of the tutors, gathering feedback and providing ongoing communication and support.
Both Matthew and Michael worked for Yipiyap in their gap years, providing peer tutoring at local schools in 2014 after taking their A Levels.
“IT and tech has always been part of Yipiyap’s offering but this year, COVID has shown that we can utilise it even more: it has been a huge benefit to our schools as our tutors have created remote learning programmes and I can’t wait to develop this side of the business to ensure we provide the most rounded, successful support,” says Matthew.
“It’s great to come back to Yipiyap, I loved my experience with the company; it cemented my desire to work in education,” adds Michael, who went on to study Elementary Education and Teaching at Northumbria University. “Peer tutoring provides such a valuable add-on for schools and it’s a great opportunity for Sixth Form graduates to expand their skills before heading off to University or employment. I’m really looking forward to driving the business forward as more schools and students look to get involved.”
Over the last eight years, Yipiyap has placed hundreds of peer tutors in primary and secondary schools for full year placements, meaning over 750,000 younger learners have benefitted from individual attention and additional support from someone close in age. By providing additional support to the teaching staff, the peer tutors are given an opportunity to develop their professionalism, leadership and interpersonal skills, making them attractive to future employers so the programme benefits everyone involved.
Anne Morris, founder of Yipiyap, comments: “We have seen a marked rise in peer tutor applications over the last few months as more Sixth Formers seek a gap year that contributes towards their future career while providing time to travel or experience other things. This, combined with an increasing network of schools – and government funding to assist in tutoring – means that we need more support within the management team, and I am absolutely delighted to be welcoming two former tutors back to the business as it grows.”
