Transforming business education in schools with SimVenture

For nearly two decades, SimVenture has been a leader in business education technology, supporting students in higher education and professionals in the commercial sector develop critical entrepreneurial skills. Used by prestigious institutions such as the University of Oxford and companies like Mitie, SimVenture offers two innovative online products: Validate, a business model canvas tool, and Evolution, a business strategy simulation. Recognised with multiple awards, including the UK’s Department of Business and Trade’s ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World 2024’ award, SimVenture is now expanding its impact into schools. 

Expanding into schools

Recognising the growing role of digital technologies in the classroom, we saw an opportunity to bring SimVenture into the schools’ sector. From our experience in international education, we identified a key challenge: the lack of assessment within digital learning tools, which often is a barrier to adoption. To address this, SimVenture engaged in a consultancy to explore how its online business simulation, Evolution, could align with existing assessment frameworks and enhance learning outcomes for school students. 

To help lead this exciting expansion, we have welcomed Mark Barber to our team as Schools Development Manager. With his extensive experience in the education sector, Mark is playing a key role in working with schools to integrate SimVenture into their business education programmes, ensuring that students benefit from innovative and practical learning experiences. 

Aligning with existing curricula

Initially, we explored the possibility of developing qualifications to complement Validate and Evolution. However, as these tools are curriculum agnostic and designed to support teaching and learning, we instead focused on integrating them with existing international qualifications. We chose Cambridge International A Level Business (9609) as a proof-of-concept model, where Evolution would provide added value by allowing students to apply their theoretical knowledge in a practical, gamified environment and reflect on their decisions.

To ensure alignment, we commissioned a Cambridge Business examiner and trainer to map the learning and assessment objectives of the A level curriculum to Evolution’s functionality. We then partnered with a Cambridge International School in Zimbabwe to conduct testing, receiving enthusiastic feedback from learners, teachers, and the school principal. 

Pilot schools and case studies

To further refine our approach, we are rolling out pilot programmes in five schools across the world, offering syllabuses and different qualification levels from Cambridge and Edexcel: 

• King’s College International School (Bangkok, Thailand) 
• Oakwood Academy (Harare, Zimbabwe) 
• Lucerne International School (Lucerne, Switzerland) 
• African Leadership Academy (Johannesburg, South Africa) 
• Peterhouse Group of Schools (Marondera, Zimbabwe) 

Oakwood Academy has already been using Evolution, and we are excited to share the impact it has had on both students and educators. Watch the video below to hear firsthand from teachers and learners about their experience with Evolution and how it has transformed their approach to business education. 

The goal of these pilots is to gather insights from stakeholders on how Evolution positively impacts teaching, learning, and the application of business skills. Through real-world case studies, we will evaluate its effectiveness and refine its use for different curricula and qualification levels, including IGCSE. 

What’s next?

Using feedback from pilot schools, SimVenture is already developing Evolution Pathways, a structured set of activities aligned to learning and assessment objectives. Because Evolution is curriculum-agnostic, it is being used across various qualification levels, making it a versatile tool for schools worldwide and allowing them to measure impact on learner outcomes. 

We also in discussion with examination boards regarding potential endorsements for Evolution as both a teaching and learning tool and possibly an assessment tool. Ultimately, our goal is to equip students with the skills needed to apply business theory to real-world scenarios, preparing them for higher education, employment, and entrepreneurial success. 

Get involved

If you’re an educator looking to enhance your business curriculum with practical, engaging tools, we’d love to hear from you. Book a demo today to find out how Evolution can support your students’ learning journey. 

Stay tuned for updates as we share insights and success stories from our pilot schools!