Alexander Group builds ties with Murdoch

Barry Gregory’s Alexander Education Group has made a big strategic shift this year by winding down its vocational training programs and establishing closer links with Murdoch University.

The shift involved the closure of Alexander’s St Georges Terrace campus and the rebranding of Alexander Institute of Technology, which now trades as Murdoch Institute of Technology at the university’s South Street campus.

Alexander’s language school has also been relocated and rebranded and now trades as Murdoch Language School. These changes followed the establishment in 2000 of Murdoch College, a secondary school located on the university campus and jointly owned by Alexander and the university.

Alexander’s owner and executive chairman, Barry Gregory, holds a beneficial interest in, and is a director of, the company behind plumbing contractor Gregory’s Plumbing and Pipeline Services.

The plumbing business went into receivership in 2003 but re-emerged soon after under a new company structure, in which Mr Gregory has a strong interest.

Mr Gregory moved into the education sector in the 1990s through the acquisitions of Beaufort college and Olympia business college. 

The latest changes at Alexander included the closure of Olympia and its hotel and tourism school.

A company spokesperson said that, as part of its move to Murdoch, the group was aiming to adopt a more academic focus with its education programs.

Murdoch Institute of Technology, which opened its doors this week with 215 students, will operate in a similar manner to IBT Education’s two Perth campuses, namely Perth Institute of Business and Technology at Edith Cowan University and Curtin Inter-national College at Curtin University.

It has provided university entry courses since 1989 and in future will deliver Murdoch University’s foundation course, which is suitable for year 11 graduates as an alternative to TEE, year 12 graduates wanting to upgrade their TER score and mature age students who want to qualify for university entry.

Murdoch Institute of Technology also plans to offer a range of diploma programs in the areas of commerce, science, information technology and mass communications.

University vice-chancellor John Yovich said the partnership with Alexander “provides a facilitated route for students to enter the university” through the foundation course, and symbolised its goal of making the campus “a vibrant and thriving metropolis”.

Murdoch College has 469 students, with just over half being Australian students and the balance from overseas.