TWO Chester firms are finalists for prestigious awards recognising global excellence and innovation in education technology.

Chester-based companies iAM Compliant, Literacy Counts, have been shortlisted for the Bett Awards – the worlds' biggest EdTech show - celebrating the most innovative solutions and technologies transforming the lives of students and educators worldwide.

The Bett Awards are a highlight of Bett UK, the world’s biggest edtech event. Taking place at London’s ExCeL Centre from January 24-26, the show will bring together more than 30,000 educators, innovators, and changemakers from around the world.

Produced in association with the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), the Bett Awards recognise excellence across all realms of edtech, from digital platforms for monitoring student progress to online resources supporting teacher training.  

Headquarted in Chester, iAM Compliant is a safety management and training tool designed to help schools streamline safeguarding and wellbeing practices, from accident reporting to risk assessment. It has been shortlisted for the Bett Innovation Award, as well as in the category for Company of the Year (Less than £3m).

Literacy Counts, also based in Chester, has been shortlisted for Primary Digital Learning Product (Language and Literacy). It has been selected for its online literacy curriculum, Ready Steady Write, which offers high quality resources to support vocabulary teaching and children’s writing.

Charlotte Kenny, Head of Client Engagement at Bett, said: "They should be immensely proud of the contributions that they are making to transform the education landscape through their innovative and groundbreaking EdTech solutions.

"We look forward to celebrating their achievements at the Bett Awards ceremony, which is set to be a truly memorable evening.” 

Gareth Davies, CEO of Literacy Counts, said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted in the Primary Digital Learning Product (Language and Literacy) category at this year’s Bett Awards.

"Being recognised as a finalist at the Bett Awards, which are a benchmark of excellence in educational technology, is a testament to the determination and creativity of our team, and highlights our mission to integrate digital tools in the learning and teaching experience.

"It is also brilliant to be a part of this global community of EdTech leaders who are so deeply committed to developing innovative solutions that make a genuine difference to the lives of educators and students."

He added: "This recognition from the Bett Awards will help us to continue striving towards our company vision: to empower all schools in helping all their children reach their potential.

"We would like to congratulate all those shortlisted, and wish them the best of luck at this year’s Awards.”

The winners will be announced at the Bett Awards ceremony, taking place on January 24 at The Brewery in London. The full shortlist can be viewed on the Bett Awards website.