Asia Pacific Education

What Asia Pacific Education does

Asia Pacific Education (APEDU), a division of the Canadian holding company Aligroup, is a private education investment and operating platform founded by Feroz Ali in 2015 and headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. The firm identifies, acquires, and manages private post-secondary education institutions, currently centered on a Whitecliffe-led portfolio spanning New Zealand (Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design, NZ Fashion Tech, Computer Power Plus), Australia (Institute of Creative Arts + Technology, The Fashion Institute), and the announced entry points of a Whitecliffe degree-granting campus in British Columbia, Canada and a new campus in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. Following the February 2020 divestiture of its Canadian Tourism College and Sterling College to ILAC, the active portfolio is concentrated in arts, design, fashion, IT, and creative-technology verticals.

The platform monetizes through tuition and fees paid by students enrolled in certificate, diploma, degree, and postgraduate programs delivered across its owned institutions, supplemented historically by subsidiary services such as Sterling Aviation's corporate-flight-attendant staffing (prior to the ILAC deal). Notable technical and physical assets underpin its brands' differentiation: Canadian Tourism College's Boeing 737-500 fuselage training facility (now under ILAC), CG Masters' production-studio model with a 25-foot green screen, render farm, and screening room that produces a 95% graduate placement rate versus a 50–75% industry standard, Sterling College's creative technology diploma with a seven-semester co-op structure, and Whitecliffe's standing as New Zealand's top-ranked private arts and design institution with the highest Performance Based Research Fund for its faculty size. Group technology is otherwise conventional education delivery (in-person instruction, pathway agreements with Royal Roads University and Vancouver Community College, and co-op work-integrated learning), with no disclosed AI/ML capability.

Commercially, APEDU runs an enterprise field-sales motion: it sources acquisition targets through direct outreach and sector relationships, and its corporate website serves as the primary channel for inbound inquiries from owners of private education institutions seeking a buyer or management partner. Student recruitment is delegated to the individual portfolio institutions and their marketing functions. The organization holds the highest possible regulatory ratings in New Zealand (NZQA Category One for both Whitecliffe and NZ Fashion Tech) and operates BC Government-designated institutions via PTIB. With a corporate headcount of only 1–10 and no public funding or revenue disclosure, APEDU functions as a lean acquirer-operator that lets each subsidiary retain its brand, campus footprint, and operating model while consolidating ownership, governance, and cross-portfolio strategy under Feroz Ali's executive chairmanship.

Name

Asia Pacific Education

Legal name

Asia Pacific Education

Website

https://asiapacificedu.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Asia Pacific Education (APEDU) is a Vancouver-based private education investment and operating firm, founded in 2015 and operating as a division of Aligroup, that acquires and manages private post-secondary institutions across New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the announced UAE, with current focus on arts, design, fashion, IT, and creative-technology education under the Whitecliffe umbrella.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Post-Secondary Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities (EDAHAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Credentialing, Academic Credit, Assessment & Transcript Services (EDAIAFAO), Short-Term Certificate & Micro-Credential Programs (International) (EDAIAIAI), Online International & Cross-Border Universities (Global/Transnational Providers) (EDAHALAL)

Keywords

• Education investment services
• Private post-secondary education
• Arts and design education
• Vocational training programs
• Education portfolio management

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees from Portfolio Institutions: APEDU generates revenue through its portfolio of education institutions (Whitecliffe College, NZ Fashion Tech, Computer Power Plus, Canadian Tourism College, Sterling College, CG Masters). Students pay tuition for certificate, diploma, degree, and postgraduate programs in arts, design, fashion, IT, tourism, hospitality, nursing, and creative technology. Programs include co-op components providing work-integrated learning.
2. Aviation and Corporate Staffing Services: APEDU owns Sterling Aviation, which supplies flight attendants to corporate jets across Canada, providing a direct employment pathway for graduates alongside education services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Asia Pacific Education (APEDU) is an education investment and operating company that identifies, acquires, and manages private post-secondary education institutions across Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the Middle East. Its portfolio institutions deliver certificate, diploma, degree, and postgraduate programs in arts, design, fashion, IT, tourism, hospitality, nursing, and creative technology. The company also provides advisory and management services to private education institutions and operates aviation staffing services through Sterling Aviation.

Product overview

Asia Pacific Education (APEDU) is an education investment and advisory company operating multiple educational institutions across Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the Middle East. The portfolio consists of Whitecliffe College (the core brand offering arts, design, fashion, and IT education from certificate to postgraduate levels), which encompasses acquired brands NZ Fashion Tech (fashion and garment technology) and Computer Power Plus (IT education). Canadian operations include Canadian Tourism College (tourism/hospitality/flight training) and Sterling College (nursing/business). Australian institutions include Institute of Creative Arts + Technology and The Fashion Institute. The company specializes in private post-secondary and niche education industry acquisitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design
• NZ Fashion Tech
• Computer Power Plus (CPP)
• CG Masters School of 3D Animation & VFX
• Institute of Creative Arts + Technology (ICAT)
• The Fashion Institute (TFI)
• Skill NZ

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of CG Masters graduates found studio work within 2–3 months of graduation (industry standard: 50–75%)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ILAC (International Language Academy of Canada)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2020In February 2020, ILAC acquired Canadian Tourism College and Sterling College from APEDU in British Columbia. Feroz Ali assumed the role of President & Chief Development Officer of the ILAC higher education division. The merger combined ILAC's existing post-secondary operations with CTC and Sterling College, expanding ILAC's program offerings to include tourism, hospitality, business, and nursing. The deal was structured as an acquisition of APEDU's Canadian education assets.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Navitas: Australia-headquartered global education provider with pathway programs, college operations, and English language training across multiple countries. Comparable multi-country private post-secondary platform with similar pathway and international student focus.
• UP Education: New Zealand-based private tertiary education group owning Yoobee School of Design, NZMA, and other PTEs. Directly comparable to APEDU's Whitecliffe/NZ Fashion Tech portfolio and competes in the same NZQA-regulated private post-secondary market.
• Study Group: Global private higher education provider focused on international student pathway and college programs. Comparable cross-border operating model serving international students with private tertiary institutions.
• Istituto Marangoni: International private fashion, design, and arts school group with campuses across Europe, Asia, and North America. Directly comparable to APEDU's fashion/design pillar (NZ Fashion Tech, The Fashion Institute, Whitecliffe) as a specialist creative-education platform.
• ACG (Academic Colleges Group): New Zealand private tertiary group (formerly owned by Pacific Equity Partners). Highly comparable given founder Feroz Ali's prior senior role there; ACG runs multiple NZ schools across similar disciplines (tourism, IT, business) to APEDU's portfolio.
• Torrens University Australia: Australia-based private university with international campuses and a strong focus on design, health, and hospitality programs. Comparable in operating multi-country, career-focused private higher education in the same ANZ/Asia-Pacific region.
• ILAC (International Language Academy of Canada): Canada-based private education group that acquired APEDU's Canadian Tourism College and Sterling College in 2020. Operates in the same Canadian private post-secondary space and is now a partner/related entity given Feroz Ali's leadership role in ILAC's HE division.

Broad incumbents

• Kaplan International: Large global education provider (part of Graham Holdings) offering pathway programs, English training, and university partnerships. Broader incumbent with overlapping international student pathway business, though at significantly larger scale than APEDU.
• Laureate Education: Largest international network of for-profit higher education institutions. Operates a multi-country portfolio of universities and colleges, providing a benchmark for international education roll-up scale, though far larger and broader than APEDU.

Emerging players

• Think Education (Australia): Australian private higher education group with campuses focused on creative, design, and applied programs. Smaller, emerging peer with partial overlap to APEDU's design and creative technology portfolio across Australia and New Zealand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Asia Pacific Education