Global education heavyweight Kaplan is focusing on integration after its $36 million acquisition of Financial Services Institute of Australasia (Finsia) Education was rubber-stamped.
The fastest growing subsidiary of the Washington Post Company has called in integration specialists and will announce a new combined corporate structure early next month.
“In the short term it’s business as usual,” Kaplan Australia chief executive Warren Jacobson said.
“Behind the scenes we’re looking at ways to deliver quick wins to clients in continuous professional development (CPD) programs.”
For example, lifting CPD material from the Finsia website and putting it on Kaplan’s, Jacobson said.
Redundancies have not been ruled out.
“Key executives are taking part in developing an organisational structure for the combined business. At this early stage redundancies are something I don’t have visibility on,” he said.
The acquisition was finally signed off on August 27, after approval from Finsia members two months prior.
The deal was subject to several conditions, the most important being Kaplan’s registration with the New South Wales Department of Education and Training.
Kaplan snapped up Tribeca for $55 million last year. Earlier this month, it acquired South Australia-based Bradford College and Grange Business School to provide a springboard into the lucrative international student market.
Earlier this week Bradford College scooped the prestigious Panasonic Award in the 2007 South Australian Business of the Year Awards.
Finsia interim chief executive officer Stephen Harrison said Finsia would build its membership activities and endorse education programs delivered by Kaplan.
