About TAFE Queensland
TAFE Queensland is the state’s largest and most experienced vocational education and training provider, delivering practical, industry-relevant training from entry-level certificates through to degrees across more than 60 locations statewide. Each year, TAFE Queensland supports approximately 125,000 domestic and international students through programs spanning health and community services, trades, business, digital technology, and other priority industries.
The TAFE Centres of Excellence are joint Australian and Queensland Government initiatives designed to strengthen workforce capability in priority industries by supporting innovation in training, industry collaboration, and applied research. TAFE Queensland has been selected to lead both the Health Care and Support Centre of Excellence and the Clean Energy Batteries Centre of Excellence, helping to develop the skilled workforce needed for Australia’s future health and clean energy sectors.
The challenge
As the TAFE Centres of Excellence prepared to launch their Applied Research Funding programs, they required a purpose-built solution capable of supporting the governance, compliance, and reporting requirements of complex funding programs. SurePact’s higher education grant management platform provided the structure needed to support these initiatives from day one.
With multiple grant rounds planned each year and a growing number of stakeholders involved in assessment, approvals, funding management, and reporting, the team recognised the importance of establishing robust processes from the outset. The solution needed to support governance, transparency, auditability, and collaboration while reducing reliance on manual administration.
The team also required a platform that would be intuitive for non-technical users while providing structured workflows across the full grant lifecycle, from application and assessment through to funding disbursement, project delivery, and reporting.
Why SurePact
TAFE Queensland sought a solution that could provide strong governance, streamlined administration, and a clear framework for managing grant programs at scale.
Key factors in selecting SurePact included:
- Ease of use for non-technical staff
- End-to-end grant lifecycle management
- Risk profiling and governance capabilities
- Automated reminders and task management
- Reporting and auditability
- Secure user management and role-based access controls
- A single system of record connecting grants, projects, and deliverables
SurePact’s purpose-built approach to managing funding across universities, TAFEs and research programs aligned closely with the Centres of Excellence’s objectives and provided the flexibility needed to support future program growth.
The solution
TAFE Queensland implemented SurePact’s Grant Maker product to manage the administration of its Applied Research Funding programs across both Centres of Excellence.
From the initial implementation, the focus was on creating clear and repeatable grant management processes that could support multiple funding rounds while maintaining strong governance and oversight. Comprehensive onboarding and training enabled the team to quickly build confidence in the platform, with ongoing reviews and collaboration helping to refine processes as the program evolved.
The team regularly uses SurePact to manage grant applications, administer funding disbursements through structured approval workflows, and access reporting documentation submitted by grant recipients for compliance and audit purposes.
“SurePact has been a valuable platform for managing our grant processes. Its strong functionality, clear role definitions, and responsive support team have made it easy for our organisation to adopt and continuously improve the way we work.”
Karyn Kimlin, Manager, TAFE Centre of Excellence Health Care and Support, TAFE Queensland
The results
As a new grants program, the TAFE Centres of Excellence did not have an existing grant management process to benchmark against. However, SurePact has provided the foundations needed to establish a structured, scalable, and transparent approach to grants administration from day one.
One of the most significant benefits has been the ability to clearly define administrative responsibilities throughout each grant round. This has improved accountability, streamlined workflows, and helped ensure tasks are managed consistently across the team.
The platform’s structured approval processes have also strengthened governance, particularly through finance disbursement workflows that incorporate two-person approvals to reduce the risk of errors.
Following feedback from the first funding round, enhancements implemented ahead of subsequent rounds delivered significant improvements to the user experience and administration processes. Ongoing collaboration between TAFE Queensland and the SurePact team continues to drive further refinements, including enhancements to Selection Advisory Committee functionality.
As future funding rounds are completed, TAFE Queensland expects to further leverage SurePact’s reporting, governance, and oversight capabilities while establishing performance benchmarks across the program.
“SurePact has significantly improved the way our team works by enabling us to clearly define administrative roles throughout each grant round. This clarity has streamlined workflows, improved accountability and ensured tasks are managed efficiently. As a result, our team is able to collaborate more effectively, maintain consistency in processes and deliver grant rounds with greater confidence and control.”
Karyn Kimlin, Manager, TAFE Centre of Excellence Health Care and Support, TAFE Queensland
Looking ahead
TAFE Queensland plans to continue using SurePact throughout the life of the Centres of Excellence program. As additional enhancements are implemented and future funding rounds are delivered, TAFE Queensland expects to further leverage SurePact’s higher education grant management capabilities to strengthen governance, visibility, and program outcomes across the Centres of Excellence.
