Cloud Transformation for Skills SA

Summary

Skills SA embarked on a cloud transformation journey to modernise and support vocational education and training across South Australia. The mySkillsSA program is an ambitious, multiphased transformation initiative aimed at replacing outdated legacy systems with a secure, scalable, cloud-native platform’s powered by Salesforce and Azure technologies. This initiative improved data access, user experience, and operational efficiency for apprentices, employers, and training organisations, positioning Skills SA at the forefront of digital government transformation.

Key Challenges

Skills SA faced significant operational risks as its legacy system, ATLAS, was at end of life. The ageing system required specialised technical support, imposed high manual workloads, and limited mobility and accessibility for both internal and external users. Siloed systems hindered performance monitoring and workforce alignment, while poor visibility into critical data such as registrations and funding hampered decision-making. Skills SA urgently needed a secure, scalable, and integrated cloud platform to support self-service, automation, and data-driven insights.

Solution

A Secure, Scalable, Cloud-Native Platform

Phase 1 of the mySkillsSA program delivered a modern, integrated cloud-based solution. The legacy system ATLAS was replaced with Salesforce Public Sector Solutions, introducing cloud-native workflows, streamlined case management, and user-friendly self-service portals designed for apprentices, employers, training organisations and network providers. Salesforce Experience Cloud provided accessible, intuitive interfaces, enhancing stakeholder engagement and reducing reliance on manual processes.

A new Enterprise Data Platform (EDP) was established using Azure Data Lake Gen2 and Databricks, consolidating data from multiple sources into a unified, analytics-ready model. This solution featured curated data pipelines, real-time synchronisation, and robust monitoring and error-handling frameworks, enabling Skills SA to improve reporting, planning, and compliance activities.

To ensure interoperability across the broader vocational education and training ecosystem, a modern integration layer was implemented using Azure Data Factory and Azure SQL. The platform now seamlessly synchronises data with systems such as the National Training Register, student management systems, ABN Lookup, and identity services. These integrations were designed for scalability and future extensibility, including planned adoption of MuleSoft. Security and compliance were embedded throughout the solution architecture, with role-based access control, encryption at rest and in transit, audit logging, and a tiered infrastructure. This delivered a resilient, scalable platform aligned with government standards, positioning Skills SA for long-term digital transformation and adaptability to evolving policy and service delivery needs.

Business Benefits

• Reduced risk and technical debt by decommissioning legacy infrastructure.
• Strengthened security posture with cloud-native access and compliance controls.
• Improved operational efficiency via automated workflows and case handling.
• Delivered modern, mobile-friendly user portals for learners, employers, and providers.
• Enabled timely, transparent reporting through integrated data architecture.
• Positioned Skills SA for future innovation with a scalable, extensible platform.