CQUniversity Sydney graduate Jan Vasek has lost little time pouring his business management and marketing skills into the services of the vocational education and training (VET) sector.

STORY by Dr Chris Keane.

Jan is now the Principal and General Manager of Windsor Institute, a vocational training and business college located in Liverpool and Pitt streets, Sydney.

Jan Vasek

Despite his hectic work schedule, Jan took some time out to chat about his experiences and the daily pressures of managing an educational organisation in a rapidly expanding market.

"At Windsor Institute", Jan says, "students can study English language learning, E-Business, IT and business skills and tourism. We help to provide our best students with a pathway into higher education."

Once students complete their training at Windsor Institute, many have the opportunity to further their education by enrolling into degree and diploma programs offered by the Sydney Campus of CQUniversity.

Compared to CQU's Sydney campus the Windsor Institute is relatively small. However, student demand for places is growing fast and Windsor's English language training centre now spills over into a second campus building.

Originally from the Czech Republic, Jan enrolled in a Graduate Diploma of Management program when CQUniversity was a fledgling organisation in Sydney's Imperial Arcade. He went on to complete his MBA with CQUniversity in 2002.

"Teachers and students were on first name terms," Jan recalls. He has fond memories of his time spent learning and studying during the Imperial Arcade days. The names of teachers that spring to his mind include Daniel Frimpong, the late Tom Fisher, Ross Spence and Frank Gondolfi.

So what does this MBA degree holder have to say about the everyday challenges of managing a growing business college? Reflecting on the last few hectic years Jan considers that "staff is always the most valuable asset in an educational sector. If you neglect the careful recruitment and selection of key staff, you lose touch with developing the spirit of a business organisation".

Developing good people management skills is not the only challenge facing a business manager in the VET sector.

Jan Vasek is adamant that an educational services provider must be ready to change its strategic direction when the market environment shifts.

Studying strategic HR, for instance, taught him that you can have the best HR strategies in the world but actually ‘implementing' a successful management change program is virtually impossible unless you have strong leadership from the top.

"You also have to be able to deal with resistance to change within the organisation," he said.

Jan is especially proud of the fact that Windsor Institute has recently won a 5-year re-accreditation tick of approval from the government authorities. The range of vocational courses which international students can now choose to study at Windsor Institute has expanded to include hospitality and cookery.

If effective business management is all about leadership, vision and strategy, how does Jan find time to unwind? His short answer is: 'tennis'. He has played the sport since he was a child. "I love to pick up my racket", he laughs, "and belt a tennis ball deep into the other guy's court".