Meshed Academy, Meshed Group’s latest initiative, directly addresses the dynamic demands of the Australian education sector for skilled personnel and efficient operational frameworks. This forward-thinking solution bridges the gap between workforce capabilities and industry needs, tackling critical areas with a direct, hands-on approach.
Janice Lim, a Technical Software Training Consultant at Meshed Group, offers a look into the technical and design philosophies that shaped Meshed Academy. This initiative is set to tackle key industry gaps within the Australian education sector by cultivating job-ready talent and fostering a more skilled workforce.
Empowering Student Services with Targeted Training
Meshed Academy’s launch is well-timed, aligning with Meshed Group’s established position and growing client base. Janice highlights the academy’s role in “grooming talent for the student services sector,” directly addressing the high staff turnover many clients experience. The aim is to equip the market with experienced student services administrative staff who possess thorough knowledge of the system. This approach significantly shortens the onboarding period for new hires, as they require minimal additional training beyond in-house processes.
The academy tackles the industry challenge where staff are often trained only in specific system sections. Meshed Academy, by contrast, offers a “rounded approach,” training individuals across the entire system flow from start to finish, enabling them to step fully into a job role. This is not a temporary fix but a commitment to developing specialists who understand the complete academic journey of a student within the system, from application to graduation.
Cultivating Job-Ready Staff in Education through Intelligent Design
A core technical priority in designing Meshed Academy was to ensure content accuracy and to transform existing user guides into dynamic learning materials. Janice detailed the shift from “old school” 2D materials to an interactive platform utilizing OpenLearning. This transition incorporated videos, slide decks, and interactive elements to create a more engaging experience. Another vital design principle was to ensure the content was accessible and understandable for anyone, regardless of their technical background.
The central feature of Meshed Academy is a comprehensive training program that teaches users the entire student lifecycle within the system. This detailed understanding aims to make learners “dynamic,” capable of functioning effectively across various job roles due to their in-depth product knowledge.
Ensuring both functionality and accessibility involved thorough testing. Internal staff and a new intern, without prior training, tested the platform to provide crucial feedback on content, structure, presentation, and ease of use. This feedback-driven approach is ongoing, with plans for further enhancements following the initial rollout.
Streamlining Education Onboarding Solutions and Meshed RTOManager Training
Looking forward, Janice envisions Meshed Academy becoming a respected institution where a certificate signifies high-quality training, making individuals highly “in-demand” in the industry. From a business perspective, the academy aims to attract companies seeking top-tier training for their staff, fostering local talent development and encouraging the adoption of Meshed Group’s system.
The development journey presented its share of challenges. The team’s initial foray into using OpenLearning and AI for content setup presented a learning curve. However, the collaborative efforts, particularly with a counterpart in the Philippines skilled in LMS platforms, helped create vibrant and engaging content. Janice expressed particular pride in transforming flat, 2D materials into dynamic, interactive content across 15 in-depth courses.
For 2025 and 2026, the primary focus is on successfully guiding the first group through the program and gathering feedback for continuous refinement. The team is committed to flexibility and swift adjustments as this is a new initiative. Janice also highlighted external challenges within the education industry, such as stringent government regulation and high staff turnover, which directly impact clients and, consequently, Meshed Group. A potential decline in overseas student enrollment is also identified as a significant threat.
Building an International Education Workforce and Community
Ultimately, Meshed Academy aims to resolve the critical business problem of talent shortages by nurturing job-ready specialists and assisting clients in retaining talent through internal development. Future enhancements for Meshed Academy include making it more dynamic with diverse activity types and building a robust content library. The academy also plans to expand learning formats to include self-paced video modules, offering deeper, richer content than readily available on public platforms. The long-term vision includes creating a vibrant community where clients can connect, share experiences, and learn from each other, fostering a collaborative ecosystem that benefits both clients and Meshed Group. These advancements complement the capabilities of products like Meshed RTOManager.
Our previous blog post dives deep into the vision behind this initiative and the problems it was designed to solve. Read more in our previous post: “Founder Insight: Why Meshed Academy Exists and What It Aims to Solve” — now available on our blog.
