Large employers spend millions on ad-hoc training. TAFE has enrollment cycles. Employees can't afford $10K-$30K courses. Guild proved the employer-funded education model works. I did the research. Now I need a co-founder who knows AU workforce development.
"Corporate training is still awful -- compliance-checkbox material. Employees hate it. Completion rates are low. We spend $2M a year and can't tell you if it moves any needle."
"We offer $5K in study assistance but nobody uses it. The process is manual, approval takes weeks, and employees don't know what courses are even relevant to their career path."
"TAFE wait times for nursing and electrical are 12+ months. Meanwhile we have 200 unfilled care worker positions and agency costs are killing us."
"40% of core skills expected to change by 2030. Australia's global skills gap could cost $8.5 trillion. We are not ready."
No incentive to build tech platforms for employer partnerships. 6-12 month enrollment cycles. Zero API integration. TAFE needs students and funding but has no modern way to connect with employers who want to pay.
Registered Training Organizations vary wildly in quality, pricing, and delivery. No platform aggregates them and connects them to employer-funded programs. VET Student Loans administration is complex and manual.
Most employers offer ad-hoc $2K-$5K study assistance with zero tracking. Guild proved employers will pay $50K-$200K/year for structured education platforms. The model just hasn't been built here.
National Skills Agreement, JobTrainer Fund, state workforce development programs. Billions committed. The government is PAYING for this problem to be solved. Nobody has built the platform to capture it.
Revenue model: Employer SaaS at $5-$15/employee/month. Per-enrollment fee at $500-$2,000 (rev share with RTO). Enterprise at $50K-$200K/year for 1,000+ employee companies. 20 large employers at $100K/year = $2M ARR. The government subsidizes your customers' spend.
The AI engineering, marketplace platform, and infrastructure.
The workforce development expertise, employer relationships, and RTO network.
This is a co-founder search, not a job ad. I'm looking for someone who wants to own half of this company and build it together from day one.
Workforce development expertise. Employer L&D relationships. RTO/TAFE network. First 5 employer pilots across aged care, retail, or construction.
AI/full-stack engineering. Skills matching engine. Employer dashboard. Product design and build. Market research already done.
We'll figure out the right structure together. What matters first is whether we're the right fit.
R&D Tax Incentive (43.5%), Antler/Startmate ($120K-$260K), then Reinventure (Westpac-backed) or NAB Ventures seed round.
"The government is actively subsidizing this solution. Employer funding + RTO delivery + worker enrollment. You become the platform connecting all three."
Target 1,000+ employee companies in aged care, retail, and construction. Ask: "How do you currently fund employee education? How do you track ROI? What skills are you most desperate to build?"
Platform connecting one large employer (e.g., Bupa) to pre-vetted RTOs for specific qualifications (Certificate III Aged Care). Employer funds the course, employee enrolls, both track progress.
Real-world validation across aged care, retail, and construction. Apply for JobTrainer Fund and National Skills Agreement funding. Build ROI case studies. Target 500+ enrolled workers.
Add AI skills matching engine, more RTOs and qualifications, outcomes tracking (retention, promotion rates). Approach EduGrowth/Startmate/Skip Capital. Target $2M ARR from enterprise contracts.
If you know AU workforce development, employer L&D, or the TAFE/RTO landscape and want to solve Australia's biggest skills challenge, I'd like to hear from you.
Thanks for reaching out. I'll get back to you within 24 hours. Looking forward to the conversation.