"We can keep all our business-critical information in one central location without any duplication. We're happy to be using such a professional system because it improves our internal processes and streamlines decisions."
Richard Bufton, founder and owner, Parker Institute Australia
Company Name: Parker Institute
Location: NSW, Australia
Industry: Education
JCurve delivers:
- A single source of information
- An effective way to meet government reporting obligations
- Effective courses planning
- Cost-effective management
- Self-service to course materials for students.
- Cost savings of two full-time employees in the first 12 months.
"With JCurve, our students simply log-on and serve themselves – reducing administration for us and making life easier for them."
– Richard Bufton, Parker Institute
THE BUSINESS CHALLENGE
Parker Institute Australia is seeking to establish a presence in tertiary education – a huge growth industry in Australia and now the second largest in the country behind commodities.
As a new entrant to the VET sector, Parker Institute Australia has an application before the Queensland Training and Employment Recognition Council (TERC), the regulatory body that certifies training providers in that State.
It is vital that Parker Institute Australia can demonstrate to TERC it has the necessary systems to administer its training assessments, policies, contacts, procedures and finances.
Having a single source of data to produce reports – for the college, for students and for authorities – is invaluable for Parker Institute Australia.
"With JCurve we have a system where every student is allocated their unique ID, to which we can attach data about their financial position, attendance, and academic progress," says Bufton.
"We've seen colleges where there's a queue at reception because students don't know if they've passed or failed a course. With JCurve, our students simply log-on and serve themselves – reducing administration for us and making life easier for them.
"The government is closing colleges that are not doing their job properly. I have seen many who don't have the knowledge or resources to manage their operation. Having JCurve will help us manage ours and set us apart. This is our opportunity – to prove ourselves above the others.
THE JCURVE SOLUTION
Parker Institute is using a sophisticated JCurve business management package to help establish a new training college. The software includes Accounting, CRM, Productivity Tools, Real Time Dashboards, and Reporting. Parker Institute now has the capabilities to meet government requirements, track student performance, review its courses, and be more efficient. Parker Institute is also working with JCurve to develop new functions that would benefit colleges, such as government reporting.
THE BENEFITS
A single source of accurate information
Having reliable, consistent information about all aspects of its operation will help Parker Institute Australia comply with its reporting obligations, plan and review its education strategy to benefit students, and be responsive to change in the industry.
"We can keep all our business-critical information in one central location without any duplication," says Bufton. "We're happy to be using such a professional system because it improves our internal processes and streamlines decisions."
Improved Business management
"Our partnership with JCurve to produce modules for registered training organisations will allow vocational education providers to spend more time ensuring students are competent and less time on maintaining operations," says Bufton.
"Another advantage JCurve provides is the ability to track changes in documentation and processes. Continuous improvement is very important in the vocational education sector. We are monitored on how we improve our training, our services to students, and our governance. By tracking changes we can demonstrate how the company improves as it evolves."
With JCurve, Parker Institute has a system that recognises if a student is falling behind in their studies as soon as it happens. "We can identify student needs and respond accordingly," says Bufton. "Our students will have live data on their studies, showing the areas in which they are competent, and the areas they need to work on with their trainers."
Streamlined processes and huge savings
Another benefit for Parker Institute is JCurve's 'case' functionality. It is essential Parker Institute can log and respond to student complaints and requests quickly. The student makes a complaint; the student is allocated a complaint number automatically; the complaint is forwarded to a pre-defined member of staff and complaints are monitored at regular staff meetings.
"This streamlines the process and ensures complaints do not fall through the gaps," says Bufton.
With students able to help themselves to course materials and personal details through their own portal, Parker Institute will forego the cost of two fulltime administration employees in the first 12 months – a saving of about $120,000 per annum.
