About Us | Dexivano — Our Story, Philosophy & Team

Our Beginning

Why Dexivano exists

Dexivano was founded in 2021 by Jonathan Rees, a former adult education coordinator who had spent over a decade watching people struggle to find credible, affordable routes into digital careers.

What he kept observing was a gap between two extremes: formal university programmes that required significant financial commitment and years of study, and a fast-growing market of online courses that frequently overpromised and underdelivered — trading in transformation narratives and income claims that rarely reflected reality for ordinary adult learners.

Dexivano was built to occupy the space between those extremes. The goal from the outset was simple: create structured, practical digital education that respects the intelligence and circumstances of adult learners, and communicates honestly about what learning can and cannot do for someone's professional life.

We're based in York and serve learners across the United Kingdom. We're deliberately modest in size because we believe that quality education is difficult to scale without compromising the things that make it good.

Professional workspace — Dexivano team environment

Educational Philosophy

What we believe about learning

Adults learn differently

Adult learners bring existing life experience, competing priorities, and specific goals. Content that ignores these factors — and treats adults like school pupils — tends to fail them. Our programmes are designed around how adults actually absorb and apply new information.

Structure over inspiration

Motivational content can generate a short burst of energy, but it doesn't build skills. We invest in structure: clear learning pathways, well-sequenced content, and regular checkpoints. Inspiration fades; good structure persists.

Honest communication

We tell prospective learners what our programmes involve, how long they take, how much effort is required, and what they cannot guarantee. If a programme isn't suitable for someone, we'd rather tell them that than take their money.

Learning as a long-term investment

The skills that matter most in professional life take time to build. We encourage learners to view education as an ongoing commitment rather than a single event — and we build our programmes to support that mindset.

Why We Don't Use Hype Marketing

The problem with inflated claims

Many digital education providers use marketing language that implies fast, dramatic change — "transform your career in 30 days", "earn six figures from home", "no experience necessary". These claims persist because they work at a promotional level: they generate clicks and conversions.

But they create a significant problem. When reality doesn't match the promise — and for most learners, it won't — the result isn't just disappointment. It's a damaged relationship with learning itself. People begin to believe that they personally failed, rather than that the promise was unrealistic from the start.

We believe this pattern causes real harm, and that education providers have an obligation to do better. At Dexivano, our marketing and content are reviewed against a set of editorial standards that prohibit income claims, guaranteed outcomes, and urgency tactics. This isn't just a legal precaution — it's a reflection of what we actually believe.

We'd rather attract fewer learners who are genuinely suited to what we offer than fill cohorts with people who were misled into enrolling.

Our Journey

How Dexivano has developed

2020

Concept & Research

Jonathan spent twelve months researching the adult education market, interviewing prospective learners, and mapping the gap between what was available and what people actually needed.

2021

Curriculum Development

Claire Whitfield joined the project as Head of Curriculum. The first two programmes were developed, reviewed by external educators, and piloted with a small group of volunteer learners.

Early 2022

Formal Launch

Dexivano opened to the public with the Digital Foundations Programme and the Career Transition Strategy Course. The first cohort of 47 learners enrolled within the first three months.

2023

Team & Programme Expansion

The Practical Skills Bootcamp launched following feedback from early learners. Marcus and Helen joined the team. Total enrolments exceeded 700 learners.

2024–25

Consolidation & Growth

The Personal Learning Blueprint Session was introduced. Learner numbers exceeded 1,400. Focus remains on quality over growth — we have no plans to scale artificially.

The People Behind Dexivano

Meet the team

A small, experienced team of educators and digital professionals based in York, committed to building something honest and genuinely useful.

Jonathan Rees

Founder & Director

Over fifteen years in adult education and digital training. Jonathan founded Dexivano with a clear brief: create the platform he wished had existed when he was navigating his own career transition.

Claire Whitfield

Head of Curriculum

Claire brings a background in instructional design and adult learning theory. She oversees all programme content, ensuring it remains practical, current, and honestly sequenced for real-world learners.

Marcus Okafor

Digital Skills Facilitator

Marcus leads the Practical Skills Bootcamp programme. A former software developer turned educator, he brings genuine industry experience into the classroom without the jargon that often alienates new learners.

Helen Barrow

Learner Support Lead

Helen is the first point of contact for enrolled learners. Her background in guidance counselling means she approaches support conversations with genuine empathy and practical, constructive advice.

Our Standards

Editorial and ethical commitments

The following commitments apply across all Dexivano content, advertising, and learner communications.

We do not publish income claims, salary projections, or earnings potential in any marketing materials.
We do not use before-and-after comparisons that imply specific outcomes from our programmes.
We do not use false urgency, countdown timers, or artificial scarcity to drive enrolment decisions.
We do not fabricate or exaggerate testimonials. Any learner feedback we publish is genuine, unedited in substance, and attributed with the learner's explicit consent.
We clearly identify all paid advertising as advertising. We do not disguise promotional content as editorial content.
We comply with UK GDPR in all data handling and are transparent about how learner data is used.
We maintain a clear refund policy and honour it without unnecessary obstruction.
We acknowledge when our programmes are not suitable for a given learner and provide honest guidance accordingly.

About Dexivano