The word 'Telematics' essentially means the delivery of information via a combination of computers and wireless technologies. The most well known telematic tools today include the internet and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Telematic technologies are always evolving and changing with new and exciting advances being created every day.

The Telematics Course Development Fund is a public charitable trust and was founded on 18 December 1987 by the Hon. John Cain, then Premier of Victoria. The Trust was initially funded with a $3,000,000 grant by the Victorian State Government over a two year period of 1987 and 1988.  The corpus has now grown to over $10,000,000.

The Trust was established for the purposes of:

• Public education and training in Victoria
• The promotion of the development, marketing, sale and delivery by telematic means of education and training courses
• The use of new information technologies for distance learning outside the existing educational and training institutions within Victoria

The Trust assists enterprises through the provision of grants, equity and debt investments in projects that the Trustees believe will further or promote technology-based education and training in Victoria

The Trust supports high quality, innovative projects.

Purpose

The Trust was established with a view to promote the appropriate innovative use of technologies in the following key areas:

• Work education and training within Victoria
• The use of new telematic means to deliver, market or sell projects for education and training
• New information technologies in the area of ‘distance education' which complements existing educational and training institutions

The Trust receives applications twice yearly. The Telematics Trust operates through a Secretariat which acts on behalf of the Trust. Under the Deed of the Trust the Secretariat acts as a management and investment