The Learning Technologies Awards 2026 shortlist is out, and Coachy Labs is on it, in the category Most innovative addition to an existing learning technologies product.
The Learning Technologies Awards are the ones the L&D industry pays attention to. The shortlist is chosen by an independent panel of judges organised by The Learning Network, and the category we are in is shared with Aptem, DataCamp, LearnUpon, LIVRESQ, Scheer IMC, The Access Group and Veracity Learning. Those are technology companies. We are an apprenticeship provider that builds its own technology, which is the point of the entry.
What Coachy Labs is
Coachy is the AI tutor built into every TESS apprenticeship. Coachy Labs is what sits alongside it: a safe place to practise the skills the AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4 teaches, on fictional data, before anyone touches the real thing.
We call it the dual-control car for workplace AI. The learner drives. The instructor's pedals are still there. Nobody crashes anything that matters.
No licences. No IT approvals. No employer data. Everything a learner practises in Labs transfers straight back to whichever tools they are allowed to use at work, whether that is Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Power Automate.
Why we built it
A pattern kept showing up on the Level 4. Apprentices would arrive at a module on prompting or automation, fully engaged, and then hit a wall: the organisation had not switched on Copilot yet, IT had locked down the browser, or the licence request was sitting in a queue. They could learn the theory. They could not practise.
An AI apprenticeship where you cannot practise AI is a course, not an apprenticeship. So we built the place to practise, and put it next to the tutor who can explain what just happened.
That is the "addition to an existing product" the judges were looking at. Coachy already existed. Labs makes it useful on day one, regardless of what the employer's IT team has or has not approved.
What happens next
Winners are announced at the gala on 11 November 2026 at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London. We will be there. If you are an L&D lead going along, say hello.
A week earlier we are exhibiting at the CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition in Manchester (4 and 5 November), where we are launching a limited HR & L&D edition of the Level 4. It is a busy month.
The 2026 tally, for the record
Awards posts are usually hollow, so here is the plain list. In 2026 TESS has been recognised three times, by three separate panels:
- Learning Technologies Awards 2026: shortlisted, Most innovative addition to an existing learning technologies product, for Coachy Labs. Winners 11 November.
- Growing Business Awards 2026: finalist, Education & Training Business of the Year. Why we were shortlisted. Winners 26 November.
- British Training Awards 2026: finalist in two categories, Retraining/Upskilling Initiative of the Year and AI in Learning Initiative of the Year, both for the AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4. The story.
The numbers we would rather be judged on have not changed: Ofsted Good, a 72% distinction rate, 98% EPA pass rate and 4.9 out of 5 from 743 verified reviews. The awards are nice. The outcomes are the business.
Frequently asked questions.
What has TESS Group been shortlisted for at the Learning Technologies Awards 2026?
TESS Group is shortlisted in the category Most innovative addition to an existing learning technologies product, for Coachy Labs, the dual-control car for workplace AI. The shortlist was selected by an independent panel of judges organised by The Learning Network.
What is Coachy Labs?
Coachy Labs is a free, safe practice sandbox that sits alongside Coachy, the AI tutor built into TESS apprenticeships. Learners practise prompting, build a chatbot and run automations on fictional company data, with no licences, no IT approvals and no employer data. The skills transfer straight back to the tools they are allowed to use at work.
When are the Learning Technologies Awards 2026 winners announced?
Winners are announced at the gala evening on 11 November 2026 at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London.
Who else is on the shortlist in that category?
The category shortlist also includes Aptem, DataCamp, LearnUpon, LIVRESQ, Scheer IMC with DialogueGPT, The Access Group and Veracity Learning.
Is Coachy Labs free?
Yes. Coachy Labs is free to try at tessgroup.co.uk/labs and is included, along with Coachy, for every TESS apprentice.
What other awards is TESS Group up for in 2026?
TESS Group is a finalist for Education and Training Business of the Year at the Growing Business Awards 2026 (winners announced 26 November 2026, Hilton London Bankside) and was a finalist in two categories at the British Training Awards 2026: Retraining/Upskilling Initiative of the Year and AI in Learning Initiative of the Year, both for the AI and Automation Practitioner Level 4 apprenticeship.