TES calls on Australian corporates to help bridge digital divide

Brisbane, 26 August 2021: IT lifecycle services company, TES Australia today announced a new partnership with LiteHaus International, an Australian not-for-profit organisation providing second-life refurbished computers to students in remote communities across Australia and Papua New Guinea.

 

Through the partnership, TES will extend the life of used devices donated by corporate sponsors and manage the entire end-to-end process including data wiping to international standards, installation of licenced Microsoft Windows software, collection and deployment, IT support and end of life recycling. 

 

LiteHaus International will then manage the distribution of the devices through their Digital Infrastructure and Digital Inclusion Programs to future leaders in need across Papua New Guinea, regional Australia and beyond.

 

Queensland students at Normanton State School in the Gulf of Carpentaria and Woree State High School were the first recipients to benefit from this new partnership with 130 laptops and personal computers (PCs) donated to students.

 

Ross West, Group Vice President of Operations for TES said this was a great step forward towards an ambitious target to reach 500,000 students across remote Australia and Papua New Guinea by 2030.

 

“TES is proud to partner with LiteHaus International to bridge the digital divide and improve technology accessibility in remote communities. The digital divide continues to widen especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to reverse this trend and advance the circular economy by keeping equipment in life for as long as possible.”

 

As part of the partnership, TES and LiteHaus International have collaboratively launched the “Full Circle” program to facilitate the donation of used devices from corporates to help accelerate LiteHaus International’s various development programs and get more digital devices in the hands of students in need. 

 

“We can’t achieve this target alone and are calling on corporates to work with us and donate used IT. Our expertise in IT lifecycle services ensures corporates have a safe way to donate used laptops, PCs and screens with the highest standards in data removal and processing.”

 

Jack Growden, Founder & CEO of LiteHaus International and the current Queensland Emerging Philanthropist of the Year said the partnership has already facilitated the single largest donation of devices they had received. 

 

“We are thrilled to partner with the world’s largest IT asset disposition company to scale and accelerate the realisation of our vision to equip future leaders with the tools to dream, succeed and achieve  throughout the Pacific region and beyond.

 

“Every high school student at Normanton State School now has their own digital device, with only 4 students previously having access to a device at home. They described this as the best school day of their lives, and I personally saw 33 sets of eyes light up when they found out the devices were theirs to keep. This highlights the true impact of this program.”

 

Kathryn Todd, Principal at Woree State High School, said the uncertainty and potential disruption that surrounds the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for students to have access to IT.

 

“With more than 500 students at our school that don’t own a digital device at home, being able to provide a device to each student is paramount. The donation of personal devices for many of our students by LiteHaus International and TES makes it possible for students to remain connected in an ever-changing society.”

 

Corporates interested in the “Full Circle” program can contact fullcircle@tes-amm.com. 

 

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About TES 
Founded in 2005, TES is a circular economy leader focused on helping customers with the commissioning, deployment, and retirement of IT assets. As the world’s largest provider of IT lifecycle services, TES understands the common challenges faced when managing IT equipment through its lifecycle, and our bespoke, cost-effective solutions address these challenges while maintaining compliance with all local and international data security, environmental and industry regulations.  

TES has an unmatched global footprint of over 40 locations across 20 countries that employ more than 1,800 employees. We operate over 20,000 sqm of facilities across Australia and New Zealand that are certified to ISO14001, ISO45001 and R2 standards. Our vision is to be a global sustainability leader to create outstanding value for our customers, employees as well as for the global community by leveraging our unique combination of security, value recovery, governance and environmental expertise.

About LiteHaus International

LiteHaus International is a Queensland-based organisation founded by Queensland Emerging Philanthropist of the Year, Jack Growden, which is bridging digital divides and digitising dreams across four countries. In Papua New Guinea, our Digital Infrastructure Program has established the first 28 functional primary school computer labs in the country, bringing our total impact in Papua New Guinea to more than 27,000 students and teachers given access to a digital touchpoint.

 

Our Digital Inclusion Program provides high school students across rural, regional and remote Queensland with their own personal digital device. Some school cohorts across the state have less than 2% personal digital ownership, and in many cases, we have been able to raise that above 35% with 12 months, providing 650 students with their own personal device. All of our devices are professionally refurbished, diverting tonnes of e-waste into opportunities for the future leaders of our countries of operation.