TechnologyOne submits an unsolicited proposal to help NSW TAFE and its students

11 April 2023 – Following media reports regarding NSW TAFE, TechnologyOne will be lodging an unsolicited proposal to NSW TAFE to overhaul its troubled student technology platform, which will provide $300 million in cost savings and a risk-free upgrade to its IT infrastructure to support the delivery of the NSW Government’s jobs and skills agenda.

• NSW TAFE’s technology upgrade continues to be delayed and is $32 million and multiple years over its original budget.
• The NSW Government recently announced an agreement for 120,000 fee-free TAFE and vocational education and training places for 2023, as part of a $319 million deal with the Federal Government.
• Despite this investment, recent media reports highlight that NSW TAFE’s IT system remains broken, including ongoing issues with basic functionality around student enrolments and course changes.
• TechnologyOne’s proposal will provide a true SaaS solution and industry-leading technology platform at no risk to NSW TAFE, while supporting delivery of the government’s skills agenda and save taxpayers $300 million.
• TechnologyOne is Australia’s leading software provider in Higher Education, with its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution being used by two out of every three Australian TAFEs.

Australia’s leading technology provider to the Higher Education sector, TechnologyOne, confirms it will submit an unsolicited proposal to NSW TAFE to modernise its student management platform to help set its students up for success for the next 10 years. This decision comes following earlier attempts by TechnologyOne, over a number of years, to offer help to NSW TAFE to turn around their troubled project.

It also comes following recent media reports highlighting NSW TAFE’s failed attempts to upgrade its technology, with employee representatives and current students detailing the serious and ongoing issues they face in relation to the IT upgrade.

TechnologyOne’s Chief Operating Officer Stuart MacDonald said:

“As a proud Australian company, we can’t sit back idly. If we stood by and watched, we would be doing a disservice to NSW students and to the industry. We felt we had no option but to put our money where our mouth is and act by submitting an unsolicited proposal. That is why we have put forward an offer to help, which will see us remove all the risk to NSW TAFE by providing them with major cost savings and a market-leading solution locked in at a fixed price for the next decade.

“We can all see this long outstanding issue for TAFE and its students urgently needs to be resolved, and as the leading provider of this solution in the Education sector, we had no choice but to help. Our offer is an industry-first 10-year fixed price – including implementation and a free proof of concept.  We are the only partner who can make this offer of assistance, and it comes down to our unique understanding of, and experience in, the TAFE sector.

“We are removing the risk from TAFE, and putting it all on TechnologyOne, and in the end it will be the students that will benefit.

“Now is a timely opportunity for NSW TAFE, the new government and other key stakeholders to come together to solve this issue with a system that is fit-for-purpose and in the best interests of current and future students.”

TechnologyOne’s proposal comes at a pivotal moment. It follows the NSW Government’s agreement with the Federal Government to deliver 120,000 fee-free TAFE and VET placements in New South Wales in 2023. When announced in December 2022, the $319 million agreement was stated to include approximately 40,200 fee-free places in the care sector, 9900 in technology and digital, 6900 in agriculture, 5200 in construction, 5000 in hospitality and tourism, 1200 in sovereign capability, and 51,400 in other priority sectors including foundation skills.

Mr MacDonald said: “As the largest TAFE in Australia, NSW TAFE students deserve the best, especially at a time when the government has put skills and jobs at the top of its agenda. That is why we have developed a proposal that offers a proven solution using modern technology, fast implementation and $300m of cost savings to the NSW Government.”

Mr MacDonald said: “TechnologyOne is the leading vendor of student management solutions to the Australian tertiary education sector. Our software is used by two out of every three Australian TAFEs, and almost half of Australian universities. We offer the only dedicated software solution created specifically for the higher education sector.

“Given this experience and capability, we believe TechnologyOne is uniquely placed to support NSW TAFE with its current challenges, and to set it up for short and long-term success. We hope to work positively with NSW TAFE so we can deliver the truly world-class student experience they deserve.”