Vocab Express, the online modern foreign language (MFL) vocabulary learning application, has been awarded a grant of more than £40,000 from the Plymouth University and Western Morning News Growth Fund (PWGF). This fund is designed to support and continue the investment, development and expansion of companies with high growth potential in the region.
As one of just 14 companies that have been selected as recipients of the PWGF from a large number of applicants, Vocab Express was chosen as it successfully demonstrated its potential for growth, creating new jobs in the area, whilst also becoming a major player in the languages education market nationally.
Vocab Express provides an innovative, interactive method for engaging and inspiring young people in MFL which can be perceived as a difficult option. It is designed specifically to make vocabulary - the foundations of learning another language - more engaging and easier through a process of learning, revising and testing. Since it was founded in 2009, Vocab Express has continued to develop its service on a regular basis, today offering learning resources in eight languages: French, German, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, Latin, Arabic and Urdu. Spring 2012 also marks the launch of the Vocab Express National Language Championship; a free, week-long national championship for all secondary schools in the UK and Ireland to support the current debate in education around encouraging and driving language learning.
Justin Sycamore, founder and managing director, Vocab Express comments: “We are very proud to have been awarded the PWGF grant. When I founded Vocab Express in 2009, it was my aim to support languages education for young people throughout the UK which I believe is of crucial significance for success in the global job market. This grant will enable us to expand and develop Vocab Express to support language teaching and learning, to hopefully inspire a love of languages in a new generation of young people.”
Professor Wendy Purcell, Vice-Chancellor, Plymouth University adds: “We are very pleased to award Vocab Express with the PWGF grant. The steering group was impressed by the drive and ambition of Vocab Express’ management, and the clear exploration of the market and opportunities within it. As a local business, Vocab Express has demonstrated its potential for ongoing growth in the valuable field of education. We wish them every success.”
February 2012