New partnership to deliver a standardised API layer and common data model, helping universities retire integration debt and speed up service delivery
Sydney, Australia – 19 December 2025 – Workato, the leader in Enterprise Model Context Protocol (MCP), today announced a new collaboration with MortarCAPS, the not-for-profit consortium behind the MortarCAPS Higher Learning Data Standard (MCDS). This collaboration marks a critical step toward solving the challenge of data silos and system fragmentation in higher education, one of the sector’s most persistent challenges, by delivering a unified, automated framework for interoperability and innovation.
Higher education institutions have long been constrained by disconnected systems, integration debt, and increasingly complex administrative processes. The data standard was created by the sector as a shared language for how tertiary institutions, vendors, and government agencies exchange data. This standard is now becoming the foundation for major digital transformation programs in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and is increasingly being written into university Request for Proposals (RFPs).
By becoming a Foundation Member of MortarCAPS, Workato will become a core part of the ecosystem, alongside Amazon Web Services (AWS) who was the first major cloud provider. Workato’s enterprise-grade orchestration platform will power the MortarCAPS Accelerator, a new initiative designed to give universities a rapid path to compliance and a launchpad for automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation. Workato will play an instrumental role in facilitating each university’s transition to standardisation, ensuring a seamless process that aligns with each organisation’s starting point and needs.
John Deeb, GM ANZ & Field CTO APAC, Workato said, “The education sector doesn’t need another platform but a way to make every system work together.”
“MortarCAPS has given the sector a common data language and our job is to make that language speak fluently across every platform and process.”
“Together, Workato and MortarCAPS are giving universities a faster path to compliance and a foundation for automation and AI that actually improves staff efficiency and student outcomes.”
Building the MortarCAPS Accelerator
The MortarCAPS Accelerator, developed with expert technical support from Workato, AWS, Navitas and participating universities, will go beyond simple integration to provide the backbone for digital innovation across the sector. It includes:
- A MortarCAPS Data Utility: An AI-enabled capability that parses data into and out of the MortarCAPS standard, giving universities a streamlined, intelligent path to interoperability without complex custom transformation work
- A Standardised API Layer: Pre-built, managed APIs that align with the MortarCAPS standard, enabling secure data connectivity across core systems, such as Salesforce and Workday
- A Common Data Model: Pre-packaged, reusable data structures for core higher education domains
The Accelerator will be co-created with leading institutions to ensure alignment with real-world needs and sector priorities.
Charlsey Pearce, CEO, MortarCAPS, said: “With Workato joining the MortarCAPS ecosystem, we’re giving universities a tangible way to break free from technical debt and focus on delivering better learning experiences and outcomes.”
“Workato’s Foundation Membership with MortarCAPS and their integration accelerator brings a critical capability to the sector—enabling universities to connect legacy and modern systems to the MortarCAPS standard without expensive custom development.”
“Combined with AWS’s cloud infrastructure, this partnership creates a practical pathway for universities to achieve true data interoperability and unlock the next generation of student services.” Nils De Vries, Principal Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
“At Navitas, Workato enabled us to achieve integration speeds 5-10x faster than traditional methods, and running on AWS gives us the scalability and reliability we need. The MortarCAPS Integration Accelerator addresses a critical challenge—standardising data across disparate university systems.”
“This partnership brings together best-in-class cloud infrastructure, enterprise integration, and sector-standard data models to help universities respond faster to student needs and participate in national initiatives” Warwick Calkin, Chief Information Officer, Navitas
As part of its strategy, Workato aims to become the default integration layer for the sector. By aligning with MortarCAPS and partnering with Ingenuity and AWS, Workato is uniquely positioned to enable higher learning institutions to meet compliance standards while laying the foundation for advanced automation through its Automation HQ and Agent Studio platforms.
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PR Contact
Archetype for Workato: workato-syd@archetype.co