EdventureCo Debuts On Real Leaders Top Impact Companies For 2024

edventureco real leaders top impact companies 2024

EdventureCo is pleased to announce that it has been recognised as one of Real Leaders’ Top Impact Companies for 2024. The company debuted on the prestigious list at #52 out of 185 honourees.

The Real Leaders Impact Awards celebrates the contributions of the world’s top impact-driven organisations.

EdventureCo’s inclusion aligns with its mission of adopting sustainable practices in its operations. As a certified B Corporation, the company is committed to raising business standards and creating a positive impact on the life and livelihood of its communities through education.

Michael Hui, EdventureCo’s Executive Director, said: “On behalf of our incredible team at EdventureCo, we are honoured to be part of Real Leaders’ Top Impact Companies list for 2024. This recognition strengthens our resolve to contribute to a better future for all by pushing the boundaries of innovation and sustainability in upskilling our clients’ workforces across digital, soft, and future skills.”

For more News & Insights, stay tuned to the EdventureCo website.

About EdventureCo

EdventureCo is a B Corporation-certified premium provider of digital, soft, and future skills training that prepares the workforce of today for success tomorrow.

About Real Leaders

Real Leaders is the fastest-growing community for impact leaders backed by a global media platform dedicated to driving positive change. Founded in 2010, Real Leaders recognized and advocated that businesses take more responsibility to be as cognizant of their impact on employees, society, and the planet as they are on their bottom line. Real Leaders is an independently owned certified B Corporation and member of the UN Global Compact. Our mission is to unite farsighted leaders to transform our shortsighted world.

Lumify Group Expands its Portfolio by Acquiring City Desktop Training

EDV Social Media City Desktop Training Acquisition 1

Lumify Group’s parent company EdventureCo completes the acquisition of City Desktop Training to expand its offering in Adobe end-user training.

Lumify Group, Australasia’s largest provider of corporate ICT and digital skills training, has completed the acquisition of City Desktop Training, Australia’s leading provider of instructor-led Adobe end-user training.

Established for over 30 years, City Desktop Training is an Australia-based provider of live instructor-led training in Adobe end-user applications, such as Adobe InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Over the past six years, it has provided training to a highly diversified customer base, spanning over 3,000 business and government clients.

City Desktop Training primarily supports individuals and teams focused on graphic design, marketing, communications, and administrative roles.

Acquiring City Desktop Training will broaden the solutions offered by Lumify Group, which now includes Lumify Work Australia (formerly DDLS), Lumify Work Philippines, Lumify Work New Zealand (formerly Auldhouse), Lumify Learn, Lumify People and Nexacu.

Jon Lang, Lumify Group CEO, said, “Since we rebranded from DDLS and Auldhouse to Lumify Work in Australia and New Zealand, we have sought to leverage our strengths and broaden our offering.

“The acquisition of City Desktop Training perfectly complements the group offering; beyond our highly rated instructor-led ICT and cyber security courses, students will benefit from Lumify's state-of-the-art campuses across Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

“We are thrilled to welcome City Desktop Training to the fold, accelerating our expansion in end-user application training and building on the successful acquisition of Nexacu, Australia’s leading provider of Microsoft end-user application training, in October 2022.”

About Lumify Group

Lumify Group is Australasia’s largest corporate ICT and process training provider and Australasia’s number one cyber security training provider. We partner with world-class companies to help organisations and individuals remain up to date with new processes, technology, and platforms to reduce risk and enable efficient business practices. Lumify promotes a balanced approach to training with a focus on the key areas of Technology, Process, and People. We provide extensive training options tailored to your organisation’s needs – from vendor-certified courses to customised training, including bespoke in-house developed courses. Visit the website: https://lumifygroup.com

About City Desktop Training

City Desktop Training is Australia’s leading provider of training in Adobe Creative Cloud applications, including InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, After Effects, and more. We offer both short courses and custom training for beginners through to advanced users. Courses are conducted live face to face or virtually by experienced and Adobe Certified Instructors. City Desktop Training has venues in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane CBDs. Visit the website: https://www.cd.com.au

Lumify Group Launches New Training Provider Lumify Learn

Lumify Group, the leading provider of Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) training in Australasia, has today announced the launch of Lumify Learn (RTO no. 45994). Lumify Learn provides quality, self-paced, vendor-certified and nationally accredited ICT training, leveraging 30 years of experience, skills and knowledge accumulated by the wider Lumify Group as industry leaders.

Bringing a unique offering of nationally accredited qualifications with built-in vendor-certified content (in partnership with the likes of Microsoft, AWS and CompTIA), Lumify Learn tackles the growing problem of skills shortages in Australia’s technology sector. With a recent government-backed survey revealing IT university graduates were the least employable out of 10 sectors surveyed, and nearly one in five IT graduates feel their degree has failed to prepare them for the working world, Lumify Learn’s courses offer students the opportunity to graduate with a vendor-certified qualification and a nationally accredited qualification. This leads to stronger employment outcomes and enables students to secure the right balance of foundational IT skills and the specific vendor-certified competencies that organisations are suffering a shortage of most.

With all courses delivered 100% online, Lumify Learn allows students to study their way, from anywhere, at any time. All students are supported by a team of Australian-based ICT experts currently working in industry, who are available to guide students through the course material. Additional to nationally accredited and vendor-aligned courses, Lumify Learn also offers a series of tailored bootcamps in high-demand skillsets, including Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, that take students with zero industry experience to employable professionals in as little as 6 months.

Lumify Learn courses are designed for both beginners looking to make an entry into the ICT industry and those looking to advance their careers, and require limited prior knowledge or experience. The business has also announced the launch of its industry-leading program, Lumify Edge, that provides dedicated support and careers advice to help graduates land their first role in the ICT industry. The program also assists Australian tech companies tackle skills shortages by providing them with a fresh source of qualified, industry-ready candidates.

“Just as much as graduates need core foundational skills in the basics of IT, they also need specific vendor-certified competencies in the systems that organisations are using on a daily basis. Increasingly, we are seeing ICT training providers fail to deliver in both of these areas, resulting in graduates with poor employment outcomes and skills shortages that aren’t addressed. Furthermore, the rigid academic structures of traditional TAFE and University courses don’t offer the flexibility that many students need to take the first step into an ICT career. We have launched Lumify Learn to fix this problem, and get qualified, competent IT professionals into the market in a timely fashion, ” said Jon Lang, CEO of Lumify Group.

Lumify Learn is part of the wider Lumify Group, which trains over 30,000 students per year with campuses across Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. Lumify Group also includes Lumify Work, which provides training for government and enterprise customers; Lumify People, a strategic and advisory services provider; and Nexacu, the leading provider of instructor-led Microsoft app training for end-users across APAC. Together, the four business units provide extensive training options tailored to both organisations’ and individuals’ needs – from vendor-certified courses to customised training, including bespoke in-house developed courses.

Lumify Group Strengthens Data Security With ISO 27001 And 27701 Certifications

Lumify Group has recently secured ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27701 certifications for its operations in Australia. These certifications, global benchmarks for information security and privacy management, underscore Lumify’s dedication to safeguarding the data of its customers, partners, and staff.

In today’s digital business landscape, robust information security systems are paramount. Recognising this, Lumify embarked on an intensive project to enhance its information security and privacy management system. The project began with a thorough gap analysis of their systems and processes, followed by the alignment of 144 controls for ISO 27001 and additional controls for ISO 27701. Lumify leveraged existing resources, using a template to provide a foundational structure for these controls.

The Lumify team then tailored policies and procedures to their unique interactions with customers, vendors, and staff. They compiled registers, procedures, policies, and monitoring plans, establishing regular checks and assigning system management roles within the business. Certified team members conducted internal audits, and the entire team was offered training and awareness sessions through learning modules and presentations.

After reviewing internal and independent audit results, Lumify worked diligently to comply with the controls in preparation for an external audit by SAI Global. As part of their certification, Lumify identified key areas for continuous improvement of their Information Security Management System (ISMS) and Privacy Information Management System (PIMS). This includes regular scope extensions, ongoing security awareness training for Lumify staff, regular security audits and assessments, and ISMS updates incorporating feedback from security incidents, industry best practices, and emerging threats.

For Lumify’s customers and partners, these certifications offer peace of mind. Their data is managed in compliance with legislative requirements, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Lumify’s teams are well-versed in ISMS, ensuring that systems prioritise data security. This includes protection for personally identifiable information and company data.

For Lumify’s staff, the ISO 27001 and 27701 certifications offer multiple benefits: enhanced awareness of information security and privacy best practices, tools and procedures to comply with data privacy regulations, and the assurance that their personal information is protected throughout their tenure at Lumify Group.

In collaboration with PECB, Lumify offers the ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer course. This course equips participants with the knowledge to support an organisation’s ISMS, providing a comprehensive understanding of ISMS best practices and a framework for continuous improvement.

With over 30 years of experience, Lumify Group has been a guiding force for organizations and individuals navigating technological change. As the preferred training partner of the world’s leading technology vendors, Lumify delivers top-tier, vendor-authorised learning experiences across a broad and continually expanding range of topics and courses.

Plain English Foundation Appoints New GM

EdventureCo Digital Asset Denise Farrell 1

EdventureCo is pleased to announce the appointment of Denise Farrell as the new General Manager, Plain English Foundation. EdventureCo is a premium provider of digital, soft, and future skills training, committed to developing lifelong learners for the roles of the future. Denise will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the company, continuing to build on the outstanding reputation as Australia’s leading provider of plain English training, consulting, and editing.

Denise’s priority is to support our diverse and inclusive teams to drive innovation and accelerate growth. With a passion for quality customer care, Denise will be supporting our committed teams to deliver exceptional experiences for all our clients. Her aim is to build a strong workplace culture and robust systems so that all employees can excel and reach their potential.

“We are thrilled to welcome Denise to the EdventureCo team,” said Nicola Fowkes, General Manager of the EdventureCo Group. “Her extensive experience, as well as her passion for learning and helping people develop new skills, makes her the perfect fit for our company. We look forward to seeing the positive impact she will have within the group.”

“I am thrilled to join Plain English Foundation. The thought of leading this exceptional team, developing new strategies, and achieving business objectives fills me with excitement and a sense of purpose. I am excited to dive into the challenges of this new role and make a meaningful impact on the company’s success and to create a positive and productive work environment. It is an honour to join a team with such a strong track record, providing hundreds of organisations to improve their writing skills and transform their documents over the last 20 years”.

EdventureCo Announces Rebrand of Corporate ICT and Digital Skills Training Provider DDLS to Lumify Group

arowana edventureco lumify group rebrand

EdventureCo, the education platform of award-winning impact investment firm and global B Corp, Arowana, announced that DDLS Group has rebranded to Lumify Group, uniting all its digital training brands under one umbrella.

A long-time leader in corporate ICT and digital skills training in Australasia, DDLS has continued to expand its services into new industries and regions. The group recently acquired Auldhouse, New Zealand’s largest ICT training provider, and Nexacu, Australia's leading provider of Microsoft end-user training. It launched the Australian Institute of ICT (AIICT), an online learning business, and opened its DDLS Philippines campus. DDLS People, the company’s business consultancy arm, also experienced significant growth over the past few recent years. These separate business divisions will now be consolidated under Lumify Group.

Under the new structure, Lumify Group will serve as the overarching brand for the businesses and incorporate the introduction of Lumify Learn, Lumify Work, and Lumify People. DDLS Australia, DDLS Philippines, and Auldhouse will now be known collectively as Lumify Work; DDLS People will now be known as Lumify People; and Lumify Learn will be launched in the new year, as its all-new ICT Consumer training arm.

Rebranding to Lumify Group

The rebrand addresses two main objectives for DDLS. The first is to unify its business units under a single brand architecture. The second is to allow the company to focus on its mission to narrow the digital skills gap by equipping the workforce with future-focused, in-demand skills.

“The existing DDLS brand doesn’t do justice to the progressive, modern organisation we’ve become. While it has equity with our existing customer base, the name itself has no connection to what we do as a business,” Lumify Group CEO Jon Lang said.

“To move forward and continue to dominate the ICT training market in Australasia, we needed to move our separate brands under one umbrella. The rebrand is an important milestone for us and reflects our ongoing commitment to closing the digital skills gap across the APAC region by providing world-class training to our future tech workforce. In Australia alone, 286,000 people will need to enter technology jobs over the next four years just to keep pace with growth. Lumify Group’s ultimate mission is to meet this demand, by giving people and businesses the skills they need to flourish in a future where technology rules.”

“The next few years will see us continue to expand into other regions, target new markets, and increase our investment in digital, flexible, and customer-focused delivery and courses.”

The meaning of the name

The new name ‘Lumify’ means to illuminate; chosen to reflect Lumify Group’s belief in the power of learning and its ability to enlighten and transform.

“We wanted to design a modern, digital-first brand identity that communicates who we are now- and where we are headed. With so much growth and expansion, we felt the time was right to unite all our different brands and services under a single brand. But to do that, we realised we needed a new name. A name that truly reflects who we are, what we’ve become, and where we’re headed,” Lumify Group Marketing Head Michael Crump said.

The rebrand comes at a time when the company delivers an extensive and varied portfolio of 600+ courses to more than 30,000 students annually across 90 classrooms, along with a growing range of virtual and self-paced online options. It will have no impact on the day-to-day operations of all business units or the student experience.

For more information, please watch the Lumify Group Video here, and visit the website at http://www.lumifygroup.com/.

Stay tuned to the Arowana website for more news & insights.

EdventureCo acquires Microsoft Application training provider Nexacu

EdventureCo, the education platform of award-winning impact investment firm and global B Corp, Arowana, has acquired Australia-based Microsoft Application training provider Nexacu in a deal worth $A19.1 million.

EdventureCo’s acquisition of Nexacu is in line with the company’s continued expansion of DDLS. The corporate ICT and digital skills training provider now includes DDLS Australia, DDLS Philippines, The Australian Institute of ICT, Auldhouse, and DDLS People. It follows DDLS’s acquisition of Auldhouse for $A16.6 million in 2021.

With Nexacu now part of its business, DDLS cements its position as the leading provider of digital skills training across APAC. The acquisition also allows the company to continue its significant contribution to reducing the critical digital skills gaps seen across the region.

Jon Lang, Chief Executive Officer of DDLS, believes the deal brings the training prowess of DDLS and Nexacu together. Both companies are committed to innovative technology, up-skilling the technical workforce, and advancing end-user capabilities.

“This will be a perfect union in terms of market adjacency and expansion. We both provide live, instructor-led, digital skills training, with DDLS focusing on technical courses for IT professionals, and Nexacu end-user apps courses,” Lang said.

“Given our growing portfolio of digital products and flexible delivery modalities there will be some great opportunities to continue building out this capability with Nexacu’s product suite.”

Meanwhile, Nexacu cofounder Paul Panebianco said he was positive for the future of the company under the DDLS umbrella.

“I'm delighted that Nexacu has joined the DDLS family, becoming part of the leading digital skills provider in the APAC region. There will be some great benefits for our customers and employees with opportunities to leverage synergies across sales, marketing, and product, in addition to their world-class facilities,” Panebianco said.

“By combining our expertise, we will create stronger, more impactful training options for both organisations and skilled workers across APAC. Both Anita and I couldn't be more excited about what lies ahead for Nexacu, our customers, and employees.”

A Leader in Microsoft End-User App Training

As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Nexacu has established itself as a leading provider of quality Microsoft end-user app training with campuses across Australia. The company currently has a highly diversified customer base across government, education, and commercial sectors, generating more than 42,000 positive participant reviews.

Today, Nexacu trains 13,000 students per annum and the merger will grow DDLS’s training pool to more than 30,000 students each year.

In acquiring Nexacu, DDLS intends to bolt-on the company’s portfolio of end-user courses to its enterprise sales infrastructure.

For more information on EdventureCo and its business units, visit www.edventureco.com.

EdventureCo acquires Plain English Foundation

The Directors of AWN Holdings Limited (“Group”, “AWN”), which is part of Arowana & Co.
(“Arowana”) are pleased to announce that its education platform, EdventureCo, has completed the
acquisition of all the issued share capital of Plain English Foundation Pty Ltd (“PEF”) from its
founders.

PEF is Australia’s leading provider of clear communication training and editing services. Founded
by Dr Neil James and Dr Peta Spear, in the past 15 years PEF has trained over 30,000 professionals
and evaluated over 50,000 documents for more than 300 business and government organisations.

Based in Sydney, PEF has a blue-chip client base of government and corporates including the New
South Wales and Victorian Departments of Premier and Cabinet, University of New South Wales,
AIG, Aware Super, Savills Australia and TAL Services.

PEF was founded with the mission to improve the quality of public language by making clear,
concise communication a business and government standard. The business was instrumental in
establishing the international definition of plain language, which was officially adopted by the
International Plain Language Federation. Plain language is the ideal standard for all workplace
writing and public language because it is clear, precise, readable, usable and efficient.

With a recent survey by Deloitte Access Economics and Ipsos finding that three in four interactions
with government agencies now take place online rather than face-to-face or via the telephone, the
importance of clear written communication has never been higher.

The acquisition of PEF complements EdventureCo’s existing businesses and is consistent with
AWN’s strategy of building a premium provider of digital, soft and future skills training that
prepares the workforce of today for success tomorrow.

DDLS acquires Auldhouse to create trans-Tasman ICT training powerhouse

DDLS, Australia’s largest provider of corporate IT and process training, is pleased to announce its expansion into New Zealand with the acquisition of Auldhouse, New Zealand’s largest provider of ICT and digital skills training. The deal will add three campuses in New Zealand to the seven already established across Australia and the Philippines.

Customers of both companies will benefit from the relationship, with an unprecedented range of authorised ICT Training options from the widest selection of global vendors including the likes of Microsoft, AWS, VMware, Cisco, and Google. In addition, customers will see increased digital product offerings, a larger range of course events, a deeper pool of highly experienced and credentialed trainers, and the infrastructure across DDLS and Auldhouse to support continued growth.

Auldhouse is New Zealand’s largest and most awarded ICT and digital skills training provider and is a highly regarded brand that has been operating for over 30 years. With three campuses in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, there is no other IT training provider that can match their geographic reach, breadth, depth, and regularity of public scheduled courses.

The move also marked a significant step in DDLS’s objective of growing internationally into the greater Asia-Pacific region, adding breadth to its expansion strategy with presence in Australia, the Philippines, and now New Zealand.

DDLS CEO, Jon Lang, stated that DDLS and Auldhouse have had a long-standing relationship, collaborating on numerous partnership initiatives: “Over the years we’ve built a mutual trust, respect, and confidence in the business operations and, as such, we see the business continuing to run as normal, with existing management and shareholders, Melanie Hobcraft, Leigh Richardson, and Craig Jones, all agreeing to remain in their roles at Auldhouse.”

Press release originally published here:
https://www.ddls.com.au/news/ddls-acquires-auldhouse-to-create-trans-tasman-ict-training-powerhouse/

About DDLS
DDLS is Australia’s largest provider of corporate IT and process training, with the largest portfolio of strategic partners and courses in Australia. We partner with world-class companies to help organisations and individuals in the IT industry remain up-to-date with new processes, technology, and platforms to reduce risk and enable efficient business practices. We have convenient locations in almost every capital in Australia as well as the Philippines, flexible delivery modalities, industry-accredited trainers, and state-of-the-art course material and labs to produce the highest quality learning outcomes for our clients.

About EdventureCo
EdventureCo, wholly owned by AWN Holdings Limited (ASX:AWN), is a vocational and professional education and training (VPET) platform established in Australia, with an expanding presence in Southeast Asia. It comprises market-leading businesses in blue-collar and white-collar VPET fields such as construction and IT. We have trained over 75,000 students in the past six years, and more than 196,000 in the past 26, providing them with skills and qualifications to commence their careers, upskill, or reskill. EdventureCo’s businesses are Everthought Education, DDLS, the Australian Institute of ICT, and ENS International.

Vocational Education Insights: Implications of Australia’s digital economy strategy

The Australian federal government has recently announced plans to invest nearly $1.2bn for its Digital Economy Strategy, which aims to prepare the country for the challenges and opportunities that come with rapid digital transformation. Additionally, the strategy aims to deliver a modern digital economy by 2030.

“Every business in Australia is now a digital business,” says Prime Minister Scott Morrison. “This transformation is not merely a national one that needs to happen—it’s a global one that is happening. We must keep our foot on the digital accelerator to secure our economic recovery from COVID-19.”

Spotlight on digital skills

The Digital Economy Strategy will prioritise investing in emerging technologies, building digital skills, encouraging business investment, and enhancing digital government service delivery. In particular, the initiative earmarks a $101.8m investment towards improving digital skills, including a pilot program for work-based digital cadetships.

Recent estimates reveal that 87% of jobs now require digital skills across every sector and industry. Additionally, it is estimated that 250,000 new jobs will be created as a result of digitalisation by 2025. In 2019 alone, Australia had more than 770,000 technology workers—and this number continues to grow.

As such, this investment towards digital upskilling will help create a pipeline of graduates with advanced digital skills, all coming through Australia’s education and training ecosystem, of which EdventureCo is a part.

This is a step in the right direction. Our goal has always been to equip students with relevant digital skills in a fast-changing world. Today, work is changing faster than education. This significant investment towards digital skills helps strengthen the capabilities for our future workforce.”

Areas for improvement

While these investments are a welcome boost for the technology sector, there are still some areas that need a stronger commitment from the federal government.

Ron Gauci, CEO of the Australian Information Industry Association, says that while the $124.1m investment in artificial intelligence, for example, exhibits the federal government’s commitment to the Digital Economy Strategy, this may not be enough to fully develop the sector. In April, the Association demonstrated that $250m was needed to fully fund a national AI strategy. However, only half of that was allocated by the federal government.

Additionally, some technology leaders found that the federal government’s $50m investment towards enhancing cybersecurity was lacking. Ian Yip, CEO of cybersecurity firm Avertro, says that this speaks to how underinvested the national ecosystem is on the issue of cybersafety.

At EdventureCo, we drive upskilling for the digital economy. In step with the Australian federal government’s vision for a digital economy, EdventureCo will continue to equip students with relevant digital skills that will give them an edge in an increasingly automated world.