Future-Ready Tech for a Growing Education Provider

Community College Gippsland (CCG) engaged Dog and Bone to deliver an independent ICT Review to assess how effectively its technology environment supports its continued growth. Through an extensive consultation process, 1:1 interviews, workshops and staff surveys, the review identified key gaps, risks, and opportunities across systems, processes, and digital capability.

The outcome was a clear, actionable roadmap, anchored in governance, capability uplift, and modernisation, designed to position CCG for scalable growth, improved staff experience, and enhanced student outcomes.

Image credit: Community College Gippsland website

“We needed an independent view to validate what we were seeing internally and help us plan for the next phase of growth. Dog and Bone brought clarity, structure, and practical recommendations that we could immediately start acting on.” - Brad Michie, Executive Business Manager, Community College Gippsland

The Client

Community College Gippsland is a not-for-profit, community-based education provider delivering vocational training, secondary education, and pathway programs to youth and adults across Gippsland. With multiple campuses and a growing footprint, the organisation plays a critical role in supporting learners across the region.

The Context

CCG had experienced significant growth in recent years, expanding its services, campuses, and student base. As the organisation evolved, there was a clear need for its systems and technology environment to scale alongside it and support future operations.

A key focus area was establishing a more structured and consistent approach to information and document management to better support collaboration, accessibility, and governance across the organisation.

The organisation was operating across a range of systems with limited integration between platforms. There was an opportunity to strengthen onboarding, digital capability, and system adoption across the organisation.

From a leadership perspective, priorities included:

• Identifying and mitigating risks and challenges

• Identifying opportunities to better leverage technology

• Establishing a roadmap to support future growth

The CCG Board sought an independent review to provide both assurance and direction as the organisation transitioned from a smaller operational model to a more complex, multi-campus environment.

The Approach

Dog and Bone delivered a structured, evidence-based ICT Review designed to capture both strategic and operational perspectives across the organisation. This included:

• A staff survey distributed organisation-wide, capturing both quantitative sentiment and qualitative insights from 50+ staff

• A site visit to CCG’s Warragul campus, enabling direct observation of infrastructure, systems, and day-to-day operations

• A series of consultation workshops engaging stakeholders across Training and Education delivery teams, Finance, Administration, and ICT teams

These engagements ensured a comprehensive, ground-up understanding of how technology was being used, and where improvements could be made.

Importantly, the approach went beyond technical assessment. It incorporated a People, Process, and Technology lens, identifying not just system gaps, but also governance, capability, and cultural challenges impacting adoption and effectiveness.

As part of the ICT Review, we also introduced emerging considerations around AI in education, highlighting the growing use of tools like ChatGPT and the need for structured governance, training, and academic integrity frameworks. This positioned CCG to proactively explore AI as an enabler of teaching, learning, and administrative efficiency.

“The way Dog and Bone engaged with our staff stood out. They took the time to understand how people actually work across the organisation. The insights and recommendations reflected that, and gave us a clear path forward.” - Brad Michie, Executive Business Manager, Community College Gippsland

The Outcome

The ICT Review provided CCG with a defined, prioritised roadmap to strengthen its technology environment and support future growth. Key outcomes included:

• Identification of key opportunities across systems, processes, and governance, many of which had previously been understood but not clearly articulated or prioritised

• Development of five strategic technology goals focused on productivity, scalability, student experience, data insights, and risk reduction

• Delivery of eight targeted recommendations spanning governance, systems integration, digital capability, security, and AI enablement

• A structured implementation roadmap, enabling leadership to sequence initiatives and align investment with organisational priorities

With an independent, evidence-based view of their ICT environment, the leadership team is now equipped to:

• Make informed investment decisions

• Strengthen vendor and service provider accountability

• Uplift staff capability and digital literacy

• Modernise systems to better support both staff and students

As Community College Gippsland continues to expand, its technology environment is now positioned to evolve alongside it, supporting the next phase of growth.