Jasper tipped for international success

JADE PRESS RELEASE

Software Nz's Latest Education Export

Jasper tipped for international success

Christchurch, New Zealand. 8 November 2001. - JADE, in partnership with Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT), has today launched a student management software package called Jasper that has been tipped for export success.

Jasper, which was jointly developed by JADE and CPIT, is software that helps higher education providers to manage their relationship with students and is currently being used by CPIT, Otago Polytechnic and the Manukau Institute of Technology.

"Jasper is changing the way higher education providers interact with students, enabling them to offer more flexible course options. Development is also underway to enable students to investigate, enrol, pay and administer their studies online," says Sir Gil Simpson, JADE's founder and Chief Executive Officer.

It took a visionary organisation like CPIT to make the bold decision and partner with JADE to create something new and different, he said. "Jasper is not for institutions happy to just struggle for survival. It is for those who want to prosper in an education sector where greater collaboration both on campus and between institutions, student self-service and the delivery of education online is becoming commonplace."

"CPIT strives to be at the forefront of student focused learning environments. To achieve this we needed an adaptive and responsive student management system which reflects the changing educational environment," said Mr John Scott, CEO at CPIT.

"We considered a range of options before deciding to embark on the creation of a new system. At the heart of the decision was our commitment to an innovative solution using proven technology. We see JADE and their commitment as critical to our shared belief in Canterbury and Christchurch."

"For our community to grow we need to demonstrate our confidence in the skills and creativity within this community."

"Both JADE and CPIT share common values and working as a team we have created something which is completely in tune with a dynamic modern tertiary institution," said Mr Scott.

Sir Gil said Jasper was unique because it was designed for both vocational and academic education providers, not just one or the other as was the case with many existing systems available on the market.

Jasper was also unique because it was built for a sector being changed by the Internet, said Sir Gil. "The Internet puts immense power in the hands of the student, requiring education providers to operate in fundamentally different ways, which demands fundamentally different information systems. We have been able to deliver that with Jasper, because our JADE technology allows us to build these fundamentally different information systems."

He predicts international success for Jasper, having sold the system three times in New Zealand already, being involved in negotiations with a New Zealand university and heavily focussed on building an Australian programme. "New Zealand's education sector is one of the most competitive in the world, giving us the unique opportunity to create a centre of world excellence for software for the higher education market."

JADE would be focussing on the Australian market in 2002 with Jasper, and also exploring opportunities in the United Kingdom.

Mr Scott said, "We expect this relationship to grow as we develop and adapt JADE to reflect the rapidly changing tertiary environment. The world wide demand for a student management system that is in tune with today's business is enormous."

"Jasper and CPIT are on the leading edge."

ABOUT JADE

Jasper is produced by JADE, an international software company based in Christchurch, New Zealand. JADE produces an enterprise application development of the same name.

In addition to Jasper, JADE builds other software for specific market sectors such as healthcare, payroll/human resource management, supply chain management, banking, customer relationship management and ports and shipping management.

JADE is owned by Aoraki Corporation Limited, a privately owned New Zealand company. It employs 350 people in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. The company's founder and Chief Executive is Sir Gil Simpson.

For more information visit www.discoverjade.com

ABOUT CHRISTCHURCH POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

CPIT is the third largest of twenty-one polytechnics in New Zealand and is the largest in the South Island. Its focus is on providing continuing education in a wide range of applied, vocational and professional studies to postgraduate level.

For further information visit www.cpit.ac.nz
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www.discoverjade.com

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