Education & Enterprise

Sonya is the founder and CEO of the Australian College of Information Technology & Institute of Film and Television (ACIT & IFTV). Established in 1993, the colleges are nationally recognised and Australian government-registered, catering to both Australian and international students. They offer internationally approved industry qualifications to enhance the learning experience for students from more than 40 countries. The colleges provide graduate placement-ready programs, hands-on practical labs, and a cloud-based virtualised environment for skill-shortage and in-demand industries such as:

• Information Technology and Telecommunications: Network Engineering, Network Security, Cloud, and AI.
• Digital Media: Business careers in Digital Media, Digital Media Productions, and Digital Content Creation.

Industry partnerships with film and media companies have helped the college develop industry-related courses. The college also invests in various digital projects with IFTV Studios.

Sonya has a wealth of experience from the early years of her career and education, including IT programming, systems analysis, digital media productions, and corporate legal governance. Sonya’s partner, Danny McGuire, has experience in military intelligence and espionage in the Australian Navy, as well as airborne surveillance and electronics engineering, protecting Australian borders for 14 years. He also worked with the Australian Police in radios and communications. Danny currently serves as Senior Technology Officer (CTO) in Sonya McGuire Enterprises, specialising in cybersecurity, data centre management, IT systems engineering, and AI, and has done so for 35 years.

With over three decades of education excellence, ACIT & IFTV is a leading education provider offering services to Australians and internationals, as well as corporates, in skill development. The college offers government-funded programs, VET student loans, and Australian traineeships to local employers and employees. The college has been at the forefront of technology and digital innovation, developing modern classrooms both in-house and in the cloud using virtualised training.

While the college is located on the Gold Coast in Queensland, ACIT & IFTV offers courses globally via online and classroom modes in telecommunications, digital media, IT networking, social media marketing, English, business, and digital production.

Well-developed partnerships with key industry players such as Microsoft, Juniper Networks, Cisco, VMware, and digital companies like IFTV Studios and the production industry in Australia and France keep courses up to date with industry standards, innovative practices, and employer expectations. Students have direct access to official training and certification programs. Education standards are kept at a high level through these partnerships, resulting in 100% graduate placement success.

ACIT & IFTV – Graduate Success Stories

Sonya has over 30 years of experience in managing educational institutions, online development, international education, export and marketing, digital platform design innovation, and the creation of content media for education.

Since 2012, Sonya has been travelling globally with prominent business and government leaders. She has been a member of high-profile delegations on trade missions and educational export endeavours to many countries. In 2014, Sonya travelled to China with the then Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull. She was invited to speak at the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics World Congress in Beijing about education and employment on behalf of the Brazilian government (CONIF – National Council for the Federal Network of Vocational Institutions).

Sonya is highly regarded within the IT and digital media industry for her enterprise in education. Since 2012, she has travelled globally with prominent business and government leaders, participating in high-profile delegations on trade missions and educational export initiatives. She has attended conferences and expos worldwide, using this experience to enhance her capability and understanding.

“Networking is an integral part of business, international education, and media technologies. Real hope for the future is based on collaboration between international agencies, high levels of government, law practitioners, telecommunication companies, and representatives of international education and film industries. We have the know-how to bring about change. Combine this with cooperation and funding, and the change we want will take place.”