LEGAL TECH TO TAP INTO NATIONWIDE SCHOOLING MARKET

NATIONAL firm Mills Oakley has partnered with eLearning specialist Velpic to roll out a new legal training platform throughout primary and secondary schools nationwide.

Through Velpic's learning management system, the two companies will develop a training and management scheme which will help schools identify risks associated with tasks carried out by employees.

Mills Oakley's Kate Walawski says the goal is to minimise the exposure of employees to potential hazards and to prevent schools from becoming entangled in litigation.

"Teachers' health and safety often comes second in many school environments and we want to ensure that they are given the right training to safeguard themselves against potential hazards and dangers in the workplace," says Walawski.

"I am delighted to be partnering with Velpic to deliver this much needed solution to the educational sector."

The system will be hitting the industry at a prudent time, considering the High Court's recent decision in Deal v Kodakkathanath where it was determined that schools must do everything reasonably practicable to ensure teachers perform all tasks in the safest way possible.

Velpic Chief Executive Russell Francis (pictured) expects the software will tap into a hungry market of around 10,000 schools.

"The launch of this new offering enables us to tap into the Australian educational sector," says Francis.

"We have partnered with the best legal experts in this field, Mills Oakley, and through their expertise and in depth knowledge of the sector we can deliver a high quality and real value add product for schools."

The platform will hit the market at a rate of $250 per month and will allow for up to 250 monthly active users.

Schools will also have the option to upgrade to a higher plan for extra Mills Oakley content and the ability to create their own school-specific training modules.