Home Group profile Financial highlights Our quick read 207kb (PDF) Operational highlights Five year financial review Ratios and statistics Chairman's letter Board of directors 194kb (PDF) Our Chief Executive Officer’s
report to stakeholders Infrastructure Value added
statement Education division review Resourcing division review Sustainability report Financial report
Download options
 
 
  Infrastructure
 
 

Properties

The ADvTECH Properties department is responsible for
facilities management, maintenance, refurbishment and
new developments at each of the premises owned or
leased by the Group. In addition the department supports
the selection, procurement and development of new sites
across the Group and assists the operating divisions
with Occupational Health and Safety requirements.

One of the department’s goals is to identify suitable sites
that enable the Education and Resourcing divisions to
meet their delivery targets and anticipated growth in
demand. A key part of this is to endeavour to bring
new facilities into service on a ‘just-in-time’ basis.

Refurbishments and enhancements at site level focus
on improving functionality and brand differentiation
while promoting the underlying commonality across
sites within a particular brand.

Efficient space utilisation is essential to the Group’s
productivity and ultimate profitability. The Properties
department therefore constantly evaluates the efficiency
with which space is utilised in the buildings that
accommodate our various brands. This evaluation
takes into account the particular needs of students,
optimal occupancy over a 24-hour cycle and synergies
between brand operations.
 
ADvTECH Properties developed a further 5000m2 of education space together with improvements at a total cost of R57 million in 2009. Significant projects completed during this period include:
  • the renovation of classrooms and a new building façade at Junior Colleges Sandton
  • the development of a new Abbotts College campus in Suideroord, Johannesburg
  • a new auditorium, canteen and technology room at Crawford Preparatory Lonehill
  • additional classrooms and a sports field at Crawford Preparatory and College North Coast
  • additional classrooms at Crawford College La Lucia
  • additional Grade 000 classrooms at Trinityhouse Pre-Primary in Randpark Ridge
  • the securing of new sites in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng for the expansion of Trinityhouse
  • the relocation of College Campus Pretoria to its newly constructed building in Sunnyside
  • the relocation of Rosebank College Durban to more suitable premises in the city.
  • new canteens at the Varsity College campuses in Sandton, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town
  • an extension to the Varsity College campus in Pretoria
  • the merger of the Varsity College Rondebosch and Garden campuses in Cape Town and,
  • a new auditorium at the Vega Randburg campus

The long-term planning of the ADvTECH Properties portfolio is aligned to the Group’s business strategy and in this regard, the Properties department is well equipped to deliver the infrastructure required to achieve the Group’s growth plans.

Information Communications Technology (ICT)

During this year an important focus was on optimising ICT to improve business efficiencies and enable business growth. Examples of projects implemented in 2009 to support this ‘IT Edge’ strategic theme included the upgrade of infrastructure to improve the ICT services offered to staff and students, the rollout of the Group intranet, ADvNET, and the investment in a video conferencing solution to reduce travel time considering the Group’s operational footprint.

In addition a significant investment was made towards the implementation of The System for Academic Management (SAM), an academic Enterprise Resource Planning system. The system supports information structures that facilitate both Group and brand initiatives around academic business management, financial management and student relationship management. The near real-time information offered by the system enables extensive reporting at all organisational levels which allows for more timely and accurate decision making. The system also provides a framework for the delivery of longer term benefits such as business intelligence reporting that is centralized across the Group’s brands.

SAM is scheduled for completion by December 2010.

 
     
  back to top