Sarah Mintey MBE, co-founder of Developing Experts, won Business Person of the Year and the Education Award at the Norfolk Business Awards 2021. Find out how her work is giving young people purpose and connecting them with career paths that fill them with ambition.
At the age of 16, Sarah Mintey was knocking on doors in her neighbourhood as she set up her first business washing cars. Today, she is a member of the order of the British empire and has recently won both Business Person of the Year at the Norfolk Business Awards 2021 for her work with Developing Experts.
“I’ve always looked at how I can create opportunities – just to make the day exciting,” Sarah says.
Sarah has taught in Norfolk since 1995 – her teaching career punctuated by her entrepreneurship, which has had a hugely positive impact on the community. During 11 years working in high schools, she raised £6 million in grant money, which resulted in a community learning centre, a cinema club, go karting clubs and a fleet of canoes.
“All the way through my teaching career in Norfolk, it was all about children lacking ambition. Children don’t lack ambition. They just haven't been shown what’s possible.”
Established in 2015, Developing Experts is a digital educational platform for children ages four to 16 that provides more than 1,000 science curriculum lessons and motivational activities for primary and secondary schools. The company also offers a careers and recruitment forum for young people and their families, as well as teaching resources to enhance confidence in STEM teaching.
Developing Experts is one of the success stories of the pandemic.
“If it had not been for Covid-19, we wouldn’t have been discovered and schools wouldn't have become dependent on the resource,” says Sarah.
“Our service is bespoke, regionalised and data driven. We’re trying to join up the silos that exist in society so that teachers, parents, students, employers, governments and training pathway providers can reach out to a one-stop shop that actually addresses their talent pipeline needs.”
In addition to winning both Business Person of the Year, sponsored by FRP Advisory, and the Education Award, sponsored by Archant, Developing Experts has also won awards from Tech Nation and Google. Developing Experts creates a solution now used by 6,100 schools in the UK that meets the needs of young people, as well as employers, government, economy and the community.
“I want to change education – literally. I want to give equity to every child in the classroom and make sure that career choice is no longer left to chance,” Sarah says. “If state education doesn’t lead to jobs and grow the economy, there’s something wrong.
“For me, it's just making sure education makes sense and has a purpose. We need to ensure children can see that purpose in such a way that it gives them ambition. I want to help them make sense of why they are learning what they’re learning – and where it ultimately leads.”
Developing Experts has partnerships with the rail industry, nuclear industry, offshore wind, utility companies and horticultural organisations. Educational content on the platform is tagged with matching career profiles so that users can immediately see the relevance of what they are learning and what job opportunities and training pathways are available in that subject. They can then connect with job opportunities locally or nationally.
“There are 15,000 different career opportunities in the rail industry alone,” Sarah says. “We help people make informed choices – whether they are students or parents or employees.
“We’re trying to partner with as many science, technology, engineering and mathematics related companies possible, so if someone is interested in a STEM career, they can see the vast array of opportunities through the platform.”
This is achieved via 360-degree virtual experience tours. This year, filming will be completed with organisations like Rolls-Royce and EDF Energy and Sellafield showcasing potential career paths.
After success at the Norfolk Business Awards, Developing Experts is planning for its next phase of growth. “We are a learning organisation. It’s all about being proactive and empowering the team to work towards opportunities moving forward.”
Sarah has also been appointed as trustee for digital and education for MyBnk, a London based charity that specialises in supporting young people learn about how to manage their money.
Sarah is always looking to enrich her network. Thomas Schreiber, former start-up advisor for Google, has recently come on board as a mentor.
“I want to do my best in everything I do. It’s all about making sure that we provide the very best service, the very best product and the very best return for our stakeholders.
“It was great to win Business Person of the Year, but most importantly it’s a celebration of what the team has achieved,” Sarah says. “I can't do what I’m doing without an expert crew around me who are specialists in their niche. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be in the position I am. The key is to surround yourself with good people.”
For more information, please visit www.developingexperts.com
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