Competence Development

What Competence Development does

Competence Development Ltd is a UK-based SaaS company, headquartered at Robin Park Arena in Wigan with a secondary office in Milton Keynes, that develops competency-tracking software for the education, skills-training and professional sport sectors. The core product, Competence LMS, is a cloud-based learning management system combining ePortfolio, end-point assessment (EPA), learner progress dashboards, SCORM-compliant content and multi-device mobile apps (iOS and Android, with offline capability), hosted on AWS eu-west-2 (London) and integrated with Kaltura for video. A separate Governance sub-product serves school governing boards using the Department for Education's competency frameworks, and a Content Creation Services line produces SCORM multimedia for licence to other providers.

The company operates a dual business model: it both licences the Competence SaaS platform to training providers, employers, schools and professional sports clubs, and acts as a funded training provider itself, delivering apprenticeships (e.g., Sporting Excellence Professional, Teaching Assistant, Leisure Duty Manager, Customer Service), commercial courses (Personal Trainer, Gym Instructor, Strength & Conditioning, Nutrition), BTEC study programmes and UK Government-funded Multiply adult numeracy courses. Distribution is anchored by a longstanding partnership with Wigan Warriors Rugby League club — the firm also trades under the DBA names Competence Development Academy and Wigan Warriors College — and by relationships with more than 65 Premier League, EFL and Super League clubs, the British Army (AFC Harrogate, ATC Pirbright, ATU North), and named enterprise customers including League Football Education, Aston Villa FC and Creative Sport & Leisure. Co-founders include Adrian Lenagan and other Lenagan family members with direct roots in professional rugby league, which underpins the company's domain credibility in elite sport.

Name

Competence Development

Legal name

Competence Development Ltd

Website

https://competence.team

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Competence Development Ltd is a UK SaaS company that sells a cloud-based LMS, ePortfolio and EPA platform to training providers, employers, schools and professional sports clubs, while also operating as a funded apprenticeship and commercial training provider through its Competence Development Academy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milton Keynes

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. SaaS Platform Licensing: Licensing fees for Competence SaaS platform to training providers, schools, employers and sports organizations for managing competency tracking, LMS, ePortfolio and EPA functionality
2. Apprenticeship Programme Delivery: Revenue from delivering apprenticeship programmes funded through Apprenticeship Levy or co-funded government routes. Courses include Sporting Excellence Professional, Teaching Assistant, Leisure Duty Manager, Customer Service roles
3. Commercial Training Courses: Self-funded commercial training courses such as Personal Trainer (£1,200), Gym Instructor (£495), Strength & Conditioning (£395), Nutrition (£150)
4. Multiply Maths Courses: Free UK Government-funded Multiply programme courses for adults aged 19+ in Greater Manchester for maths confidence improvement
5. Study Programme Delivery: Further education study programmes such as BTEC Extended Diploma in Sport for school leavers aged 16-17

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Competence Development develops and licenses the Competence SaaS platform — a cloud-based Learning Management System with ePortfolio, End-Point Assessment (EPA), competency evaluation, and SCORM-compliant content — to training providers, schools, employers, and professional sports organisations. In parallel, the company is itself a funded training provider, delivering apprenticeships, Multiply numeracy courses, vocational study programmes, and commercial sport/fitness courses through its Competence Development Academy and Wigan Warriors College brands. Its dual operator/developer position underpins sector-specific software tailored for the skills-training and professional-sport education markets.

Product overview

Competence Development offers a sector-specific SaaS platform consisting of the Competence LMS (Learning Management System), ePortfolio, and End-Point Assessment tools for training providers. The platform integrates with ePortfolio and EPA functionality alongside competency evaluation and analysis tools. Related products include Governance (for school governing board evaluations), Multiply Courses (free numeracy training), and the Competence Development Academy (vocational training programs). The company also provides course content creation services. The product ecosystem serves Training Providers, Employers, Schools, and Students across sectors including professional sport, education, military training, and security.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Governance: SaaS solution for school governing board and trust competency evaluations using DfE's competency frameworks.
• Competence LMS

Products and services

• Competence LMS SaaS Learning Management System for training providers to administer and deliver high-quality, learner-centred, compliant skills training, featuring learner progress tracking against knowledge, skills and behaviours, ePortfolio of submissions and evidence, automated knowledge checks, assessments, discussions, and End-Point Assessment (EPA) capabilities. Mobile-first responsive design accessible via smartphone, tablet or desktop with offline capability through cached data, speech-to-text for assessment comments, and SCORM-compliant content exportable to any LMS.
• Governance SaaS solution for school governing boards and academy trusts to conduct structured evaluations of governors' competencies using DfE-aligned competency frameworks, with analysis of board effectiveness and improvement-planning functionality. Designed to replace documents, spreadsheets, and paper-based governor reviews.
• Multiply Courses Free numeracy courses for adults aged 19+ living in Greater Manchester, covering practical maths skills including household budgeting, employment maths, digital skills, and functional skills from entry level to Level 2. Funded by the UK Government's Multiply programme through the Department for Education.
• Competence Development Academy (incl. Wigan Warriors College) Funded training provider offering vocational education and training programmes including BTEC Extended Diploma in Sport (equivalent to 3 A-Levels for UCAS progression), apprenticeships in Teaching Assistant, Leisure Duty Manager, Customer Service, Sports Coach, and Sporting Excellence Professional, delivered at Wigan Warriors performance gym facilities. Programmes funded through Apprenticeship Levy or co-funded government routes.
• Content Creation Services Service providing SCORM-compliant multimedia courseware (video, text, audio) for licensing and delivery by colleges, training organisations, or employers. Leverages the platform's SCORM-compliant content capability.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reviews, including prep time, have been cut from hours down to minutes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• AFC Harrogate (Army Foundation College)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2021Competence used by Army Foundation College to enhance training and care of Junior Soldiers. 1,000+ Recruits trained in 40-week British Army (Junior Entry) Basic Training Course. Lt. Col Mike Butler Commanding Officer provided testimonial praising the platform.
• ATC PirbrightcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2021Competence platform used for 144 Recruits undertaking 14-week British Army (Standard Entry) Basic Training Course at ATC Pirbright. Details confidential.
• ATU North (Army Training Unit)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2020Competence platform used to enhance delivery and evidencing progress for 48 recruits undertaking 2-week Army British Army (Reserve) Basic Training Course. Extended pilot stage with British Army.
• Wigan WarriorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding partnership with professional Rugby League club Wigan Warriors (Super League champions). Provides unique venue access for training programmes including use of world-class performance gym facilities. Co-marketing for Multiply maths courses and education programmes. Learners train at same facilities as professional athletes.
• Premier League & EFL ClubscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCompetence provides online course content and LMS software for education requirements within professional football clubs. More than 65 clubs across Premier League and EFL use Competence for apprenticeship and coach development programmes.
• Super League Rugby ClubscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCompetence provides course content and LMS for rugby league clubs in Super League. Partner clubs include Wigan Warriors for training delivery and education programmes.
• League Football EducationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeague Football Education uses Competence platform for apprenticeship delivery. CEO Sarah Stephen testimonial states reviews cut from hours to minutes. Flagship customer reference.
• CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompetence aligns with CIMSPA professional standards and membership frameworks. Company positions CIMSPA as well-positioned to drive workforce recognition and development in the sector. Courses recommended/approved by CIMSPA.
• DfE (Department for Education)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompetence Governance product uses DfE's own competency frameworks for school governing board improvement. Alignment with government education standards enables credibility in schools market.
• UK Government Multiply ProgrammecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMultiply maths courses funded by UK Government for adults 19+ in Greater Manchester. Free courses to eligible participants. Funded through Department for Education Multiply initiative.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mind Tools: Established business and leadership skills training provider serving individuals and L&D teams. Comparable commercial-training and career-readiness offering to Competence's adult courses portfolio.
• Kallidus: UK-headquartered HR and learning platform serving mid-market and enterprise customers. Competes for the same UK training-provider and employer training budget as Competence.
• Cornerstone OnDemand: Large-scale enterprise talent and learning platform with established apprenticeship and compliance modules. A broad incumbent that overlaps with Competence's employer-segment offering.
• Docebo: Global AI-powered LMS incumbent that increasingly targets regulated and compliance-driven training. Represents a competitive threat at the upper end of the training-provider market.
• Totara (Learn and Engage): Open-core LMS/engagement platform widely used by UK and international training organisations. A potential substitute at the platform layer for Competence LMS.

Regional players

• National Governance Association (NGA): UK membership body providing governance resources, training, and tooling for school governors. Adjacent competitor and potential partner for Competence's Governance sub-product.

Direct peers

• OneFile: UK-based apprenticeship eportfolio and LMS platform used by training providers to manage learner evidence and EPA. Closest direct competitor to Competence in the apprenticeship software market.
• SmartApprentice (Tribal Group): Apprenticeship management and tracking software widely adopted across UK further education colleges. Competes head-to-head with Competence for training-provider and college customers.
• epaPRO: End-point assessment software for apprenticeship standards in the UK, directly overlapping with Competence's EPA tooling for training providers and assessment organisations.
• Bud (Apprenticeship Management): UK apprenticeship management platform covering recruitment, training, and compliance. Direct competitor in the mid-market training-provider segment Competence targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/competenceapp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@competenceapp
• Facebookfacebook.com/competenceapp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/competenceapp
• Instagraminstagram.com/competenceapp

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Competence Development