Back to School THE HIDDEN


OPPORTUNITY IN EDUCATION


Luigi Bertino, Product Marketing Manager at Canon UK & Ireland, explores how digital transformation offers a powerful, untapped opportunity for schools to modernise workflows and improve learning outcomes.


A


s a new academic year begins, schools, colleges and universities across the UK are preparing for another cycle of enrolments, examinations, administration and student


support, but behind the classroom sits a complex operation: managing the information that keeps the wheel turning. From admissions and enrolment to finance, safeguarding,


examinations and HR, education providers handle vast amounts of information every day. While much of this is now digital, paper remains part of many processes, creating a hybrid environment where physical and digital information needs to work together. At the same time, educational institutions face a familiar challenge:


improving outcomes while working within limited budgets. Tis is changing the way organisations think about technology


investments. Te objective is no longer to introduce new technology, but to ensure that it delivers meaningful value. For document workflows, that means looking beyond the scanner and considering how information is captured, managed, and used.


Digital transformation, but under pressure Te UK education sector continues to invest in digital transformation. In March 2025, the Government announced £45 million to improve digital connectivity in schools, including £25 million for wireless network improvements and £20 million for fibre upgrades. Te Government’s 2025 Education Estates Strategy also set out £38 billion of education capital investment between 2025-26 and 2029-30, including digital connectivity and education infrastructure. In higher education, research from Jisc highlights how institutions


are approaching digital transformation within a resource-constrained environment, encouraging organisations to consider existing processes, investment priorities and organisational practices rather than simply adding more technology.


16 | September/October 2026 Te message is clear: technology investment needs to deliver more


than functionality. It should improve productivity, make better use of resources, and provide measurable operational benefits.


The real value of technology: time Administrative teams process applications, student records, invoices, certificates and examination documentation, oſten under strict deadlines. Enrolling students, for example, can involve large volumes of paperwork, from ID documents to funding forms. Individually, tasks such as scanning, renaming files, entering data,


or searching for documents may take only minutes. Across thousands of documents, however, those minutes quickly become hours. Tis is where efficient document workflows can deliver value beyond the initial technology investment. An automatic check, for example, can make a process faster, easier, and less reliant on manual input. But the objective is not simply to scan faster or digitise paper. Te


real value comes from what happens aſterwards; how information is managed, accessed, routed, and used. When each part of the digitalisation process is improved, the benefits build on one another, creating a more efficient, reliable and less stressful experience for the people involved. Ultimately, better technology and better processes should not


only save time; they should make it easier for people to get the job done well.


From scanning documents to managing information Paper is unlikely to disappear completely from education. A student may apply online but still submit supporting documents in paper form. Finance teams may receive invoices digitally from one supplier and physically from another, while HR departments continue to process certificates and signed forms. Te challenge is therefore not


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