Navitas establishes Swansea JV

Perth-based education provider Navitas has entered into a 50:50 joint venture with Swansea University to replace its existing royalty-based pathway program with the Welsh university.

Swansea  will be the fourth university of 31 in partnership with Navitas to move over to the JV model, following Western Sydney University, Edith Cowan University and the University of Canberra.

The reformulated partnership will mean the International College Wales Swansea, owned by Swansea University, will be retitled The College Swansea University and transferred to the JV entity.

Under the previous arrangement, Navitas would earn 100 per cent of the revenue generated from student tuition and paid a royalty to Swansea. Under the JV, Swansea will take a portion of the revenue gained through student tuition directly.

Navitas chief executive Rod Jones said the new partnership was an example of how Navitas could create more value for its partners.

“It’s another step forward in our goal to become the preferred transformation partner to universities around the world,” he said.

A Navitas spokesperson said the change would allow Swansea to have more involvement in the college’s operations and the expansion of service offerings.

The wider range of services offered under the JV will include: an expanded curriculum; a broader portfolio of pre-masters programs; management of a leased 411 bed on-campus student accommodation facility; short-term vocationally oriented programs; and distance learning.

The Navitas spokespersons said this could benefit Navitas in the long-term by attracting more students.

The spokesperson said Navitas had changed its original royalty-based model to suit its partners’ needs, and while moving to JVs was not a trend it is pursuing, such ventures could be the way forward for more of its partners.