Mark Jones, Executive Vice President, Education at TechnologyOne

For universities and TAFEs, the AI conversation needs reframing. Rather than viewing AI as a threat to academic roles, it needs to be embraced as a tool that removes administrative burdens. AI is enhancing the teaching and learning process by removing inefficiencies. By helping institutions predict outcomes, learn, uncover insights, and simplify administration, AI frees educators to focus on what matters most: teaching, research, and student success.

Indeed, AI will only deliver on its promise if it is put to work with people, not instead of them. AI amplifies the collective intelligence, but humans bring the ethics and empathy. Our ethos is to keep humans in the loop and part of the process.

Agentic AI across ERP is rapidly becoming the invisible infrastructure of higher education. It is quietly powering efficiencies, personalised learning pathways, and faster institutional decision making.

TechnologyOne has launched what we believe is a world-changing AI-powered product: Plus, the next generation of our ERP. My confidence comes from the fact that our starting point has always been solving real problems.
Over the past 6 years, we’ve embedded AI across our entire system to unlock the value hidden in the massive data lakes our customers have entrusted to us over the years.

For the first time, universities and TAFEs can simply ask the system a question in plain English and receive an answer drawn from all the data in their organisation. No training is required. No dashboards need to be built. Plus delivers insights instantly.

Unlike traditional automation that requires complex setup and rigid workflows, Plus delivers intelligent AI business process automation that adapts to your institution's unique needs while integrating seamlessly with your existing TechnologyOne ERP system.

With Plus and TechnologyOne ERP, institutions can reimagine the entire student journey - from application to graduation - through personalised, mobile-first experiences that meet the expectations of today’s digital-native learners.

For academic and professional staff, Plus automates routine tasks and frees time for strategic priorities such as curriculum innovation, research excellence, and deeper student engagement. By enabling simple verbal conversations with the system, Plus removes the confusion often caused by complex terminology—a major pain point in traditional ERP applications. Forget complex commands, navigation hurdles, or confusing screens. Instead, staff can access insights and complete tasks effortlessly, reducing reliance on the hundreds of applications they currently juggle to do their jobs.

The benefits at a glance

• Improved insights: Early intervention powered by predictive analytics, KPIs, and forecasting helps universities identify at risk students and improve outcomes. Plus provides actionable insights - from international student CAP footprint to retention and overall success
• Operational efficiency: Reduced administrative overhead, streamlined workflows, and faster decision making across faculties and central services
• Compliance confidence: Automated, secure, and audit ready reporting aligned with Australian higher education standards and government requirements
• Futureproof technology: SaaS delivery ensures universities and TAFEs always access the latest AI innovations—without the cost and complexity of manual interactions
• Simplification: no training, no implementation, just a conversation.

Looking ahead, higher education is evolving rapidly. Institutions that fail to adapt risk losing competitiveness in student recruitment, retention, and research impact. Plus is the pathway to digital transformation that is practical, scalable, and student centric.

Author Bio: Mark Jones is Executive Vice President, Education at TechnologyOne.