Irish firm Prodigy Learning expands into Asia Pacific market

Julie Sinnamon, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, Andrew Flood, CEO, Prodigy Learning, President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Mrs. Sabina Higgins with Microsoft Australia Education Sector Director George Stavrakakis

Ellie Donnelly

Irish firm Prodigy Learning, which provides digital skills certifications and learning solutions, has entered the Asia Pacific market with the opening of an office in Sydney.

The company has also announced a partnership with Microsoft Australia to deliver their digital skills and science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) programmes in education.

The Australian EdTech industry is expected to grow to A$1.7bn (€1.2bn) by 2020, with significant focus on digital and STEM skills in education in both Federal and State governments.

"In partnership with Microsoft, we will provide digital skills certifications such as Microsoft Office Specialist, along with supporting learning solutions and educator professional development to help prepare students to participate in the ‘ideas economy’ and become the innovators of tomorrow," Andrew Flood, CEO of Prodigy Learning, said.

Prodigy Learning expects its entry into the Australian market to provide significant revenue growth within the next two years.

The company also has plans to service the wider Asia Pacific region from its Sydney office, offering further growth opportunities for the Dublin-based firm.

Established in 2000, currently the company has offices in Dublin and London, and exports represent over 70pc of the company’s business.

The company’s customer base includes top tier academic, commercial and public-sector institutions, and its customers include the London School of Economics, the NHS in the UK and SOLAS in Ireland.

The announcement was made as part of the Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Australia and New Zealand.

"In Ireland and on the ground internationally, Enterprise Ireland is supporting innovative companies like Prodigy Learning to scale and expand internationally and achieve its global ambitions," Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, said.