Irish edtech Olive Group hopes to net new audience with latest deal

5 May 2022

Brendan Kavanagh. Image: Olive Group

Olive Group said its partnership with business education non-profit ABE Global will enable it to reach more than 20,000 students.

Dublin-headquartered edtech company Olive Group has struck a deal that could be worth more than €200,000 with ABE Global, which will enable it to reach a bigger, global audience.

Olive Group has spent the past year working with non-profit exam board ABE Global, which is regulated in the UK and has been running professional business qualifications internationally since 1973.

The deal, announced today (5 May), will see Olive Group provide more than 20,000 students worldwide with access to 26 online professional development courses. Most of the students will be based in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.

Students will access the courses via Olive Group’s Mykademy online platform. The platform will also help ABE centres in 150 locations globally by providing students with a learning environment that supports the teaching of ABE’s business qualifications.

The agreement came to fruition during the pandemic, according to Olive Group CEO Brendan Kavanagh. “We have worked with ABE for the last 12 months and are delighted to sign a deal with them that will see thousands of students improve their skills and knowledge base,” he said.

“At Olive, we’re committed to ensuring better access to education globally and our online training platforms allow this to happen. This partnership with ABE further demonstrates our global reach, which to date has seen more than 3m learners benefit from our online education platforms.”

Kavanagh added that Olive Group is looking forward to expanding its customer base even further throughout the year.

Founded in 2006, the company employs 600 people across 12 countries including Ireland. It provides digital learning courses in 27 different languages, using its own suite of e-learning platforms, as well as VR and AI tools.

Speaking about the new partnership, Vicky Mose, director of products and services at ABE Global, said the non-profit is looking to equip its members with “the skills, self-belief and adaptability to thrive in a volatile world”.

“Providing easy, affordable access to certified continuing professional development (CPD) courses to complement the in-depth skills and knowledge developed by our qualifications is part of this commitment.”

Last September, Olive Group also collaborated with sports pundit and psychotherapist Richie Sadlier and NUI Galway researcher Elaine Byrnes to bring sex education for young people online.

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Blathnaid O’Dea was a Careers reporter at Silicon Republic until 2024.

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