Product Vision
What we're building, who it's for, and what makes it different. Distilled from Workshop 1 with Jason (2026-04-22).
What it is
My Coach (My Foundation Skills Coach) is a mobile-first web app that helps adults in rural and remote NSW build the foundational skills they need to be workplace-ready: numeracy, reading, and writing.
The Coach is a sympathetic, conversational AI that gives private, non-judgmental feedback. It meets users where they are — on the device they have, at the bandwidth they have, with the literacy they have — and helps them grow.
Who it's for
The NSW Foundation Skills program explicitly prioritises five target groups — and the Coach is designed with all of them in mind:
- Adults with low literacy or numeracy — ACSF Levels 1–2 (the baseline the Coach addresses directly).
- Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities — including English language learners at all stages.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners — aligned with Closing the Gap targets; the Barranggirra initiative supports fee-free training for this cohort in NSW.
- Long-term unemployed job seekers — 12+ months out of work; approximately 65% face at least one additional employment barrier beyond unemployment itself.
- Regional, rural and remote Australians — community education providers are the dominant delivery channel in these areas. The Coach is built to serve learners where no other service reaches them.
Many in these groups have limited tech access, low bandwidth, and difficult histories with formal education. The Coach has to feel safe, encouraging, and personal — and it has to work on whatever device and connection the learner actually has.
What makes it different
Competitors in this space tend to be transactional — do a drill, get a score. The Coach is relational: it knows you, encourages you, and adapts. It builds confidence alongside skill.
→ Product Principles → Coach Personality & Interaction Model
The three pilot modules
- Numeracy — a gamified mobile experience. The AI analyses post-game performance and gives targeted feedback and learning recommendations.
- Reading — the AI Coach listens as the user reads aloud from any text, giving real-time audio feedback on pronunciation, speed, and word recognition.
- Writing — the AI gives feedback on handwriting and sentence construction. High-tech users write on-screen; low-tech users write on paper and upload a photo. The adaptive approach is a load-bearing product idea — it is how we ensure universal access regardless of device or tech confidence.
Strategy and scope
- Funding ask: $350k (the full NSW DoE Training Services pool for this initiative).
- Pitch the full vision to secure the full pool — avoids a fragmented budget and signals long-term commitment.
- Scope the pilot to a mobile-first web app — prioritises accessibility for remote users on low-bandwidth connections (3G), enables rapid iteration.
- Mobile / web / VR were all floated in the initial project framing; the pilot is web/mobile. VR stays in the full vision roadmap.
Non-goals for the pilot
- Not a replacement for teachers or formal education.
- Not a credentialing or certification platform.
- Not trying to be a general-purpose tutor — scope is foundational skills for workplace readiness.