Located in Melbourne, Australia, La Trobe University offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs, including computing, mathematics, science, engineering, business, and arts. The University is known for its high-quality education, innovative research, and industry partnerships. Its main campus in Bundoora is the largest metropolitan campus in Australia.

Executing on La Trobe’s mission of student employability

La Trobe University is committed to giving its students in-demand skills and opening successful and rewarding careers. That’s why La Trobe is making ServiceNow a core part of its academic programs, offering credit courses and opportunities to gain valuable ServiceNow certifications. Luke Prendergast, Deputy Dean of the School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences at La Trobe, explains. “There’s huge demand for ServiceNow skills in Melbourne and across Australia. So, when one of our industry partners introduced us to a contact in ServiceNow’s Melbourne office, we were enthusiastic about integrating ServiceNow into our programs.”

Bringing together students to solve real-world challenges

La Trobe’s first step was to set up an “appathon”—a one-day competition where students built a ServiceNow app to solve a real-world problem. Organized in partnership with ServiceNow, Deloitte and Bendigo Bank, student teams were given a challenge, with the winning team given the opportunity to present their solution.

Luke says that the event was a huge success. “We had 60 places available, but we had over 170 students apply. The response was unbelievable. We asked students to get basic ServiceNow skills before the event by taking ServiceNow micro-certifications, but this wasn’t only about having an IT background. It was multidisciplinary—for example, we had students from our business and marketing programs. Solving real-world problems like this takes both business and technical skills, and we wanted to give our students the opportunity to see this in action.”

Luke continues, “The atmosphere on the day was incredible—there was a real buzz in the room. And it was a great learning experience, with people from ServiceNow and Deloitte mentoring students as they worked on their solutions.”

Integrating ServiceNow into academic programs

Buoyed by the success of the appathon, La Trobe is now introducing ServiceNow credit courses in its bachelor’s and master’s IT programs. Luke enthuses, “The appathon confirmed what we already knew. We were on to a real winner for our students. So, we are integrating ServiceNow directly into our academic program. And, as part of that, we’re giving students the opportunity to become a ServiceNow Certified Application Developer, which is extremely valuable in the job market. That lines up perfectly with our mission of opening rewarding career opportunities for our students.”

Extending ServiceNow opportunities to thousands of remote students

And La Trobe has even more ambitious plans. According to Luke, “We’re also aiming to offer similar ServiceNow courses online, giving opportunities to students who can’t attend a university campus in person. We’ve already done this successfully with our cybersecurity programs, so we know the potential. There’s an opportunity to bring in hundreds or even thousands of remote students and working professionals. That opens huge doors for them and also will make a big dent in Australia’s ServiceNow skills gap. And, of course, we’re not forgetting about running more appathons—that was a huge success, so we’re obviously looking to do more.”

The bottom line

Asked why other higher learning institutions should consider setting up a similar ServiceNow program, Luke is emphatic. “Our mission is to give students the skills they need to build a bright and rewarding future. ServiceNow skills are in huge demand, so a ServiceNow program like ours ticks all the boxes. The ServiceNow partnership and support have also been great, so we’ve got everything in place we need to succeed. And, since universities in Australia are ranked on graduate employability, it’s also a wonderful opportunity for La Trobe to continue its education leadership.”