Catalyst Workplace Essentials

Ready-to-go training and compliance platform for NZ businesses with 50–500 learners. Built on Moodle Workplace, hosted on Catalyst Cloud, and ready in three days.

Get started within 3 days
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Big features designed for smaller organisations

Complete training solution eliminating complexity and compliance risks, providing professional capabilities without requiring expertise or large budgets

days from signup to first training

$600/month after set-up - no surprises

70% less admin time vs spreadsheets

NZ hosted and supported

Enterprise features designed for SMEs

Catalyst Workplace Essentials brings professional-grade learning management within reach of every small business

Confident, compliant, in control

Stay ahead of regulations and build a workplace culture of safety and professionalism.
Catalyst automates the details — reminders, reports, and records — so you can focus on your people and your growth.

  • Automated tracking and certification reminders.
  • Instant audit-ready reports.
  • Preloaded compliance and safety templates.
  • Continuous updates to keep you current and confident.
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Train Smarter

Whether you’re onboarding new staff or managing health & safety certifications, everything is streamlined, tracked, and professional from day one.

  • No tech expertise required — if you can use email, you can use Workplace Essentials.
  • Custom branding to reflect your business identity.
  • Pre-configured templates ready to launch instantly.
  • Mobile-friendly access for teams on the go.

Built for growing businesses

Catalyst Workplace Essentials was designed specifically for small to medium New Zealand organisations that want enterprise capabilities without enterprise costs.

It’s perfect for you if:

  • You have 10–100 employees and need consistent training.
  • You’re ready to move beyond spreadsheets and manual tracking.
  • You want results this week — not a long IT project.
  • You value reliability, professionalism, and local support.
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What to expect

Day 1–3:

  • Platform set up and branded for your business.
  • Health & safety templates ready to go.
  • Your first team training live.
  • Compliance tracking automated.

By Week One:

You’re back to running your business. Training and compliance handled.

Ask for more info
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Ongoing, NZ-based support

When you need help, you’ll speak to real people based in New Zealand who understand the realities of small business.

  • Phone and email support you can count on.
  • Updates and new features to keep your platform modern.
  • Guidance tailored to your business needs.

FAQ

Businesses that need professional training delivery but don’t have the time, budget, or in-house expertise for a full LMS implementation. If you’re tracking compliance in spreadsheets and enterprise systems feel like overkill, this is for you.

Workplace Essentials is Moodle Workplace – but packaged differently.

 

Full Moodle Workplace

Workplace Essentials

Target size

500+ learners

50–500 learners

Implementation

Custom project setup

Ready in 3 days

Configuration

Tailored to your specifications

Pre-configured best practice

Pricing

Project-based

Fixed monthly fee under $600

Ideal for

Complex requirements, multiple tenants

Straightforward training needs

Bottom line: Same powerful platform, right-sized packaging for SMEs. If you need extensive customisation or have complex multi-entity requirements, full Moodle Workplace is the answer. If you need professional training that just works, choose Workplace Essentials.

Both are enterprise learning platforms built on Moodle’s foundation. The differences:

 

Totara Learn

Workplace Essentials

Target market

Large enterprise

SMEs

Implementation

Weeks to months

3 days

Typical cost

Enterprise pricing + implementation

Under $600/month all-in

Administration

Requires dedicated LMS admin

Any office admin can manage

Customisation

Extensive

Streamlined

Best for

Complex enterprise requirements

Getting training done quickly

Bottom line: Totara is built for large organisations with dedicated L&D teams and complex requirements. Workplace Essentials is built for businesses that need results without the overhead.

Choose Workplace Essentials if you:

Choose full Moodle Workplace if you:

Choose Totara if you:

Choose standard Moodle if you:

  • Have 50–500 learners
  • Need to be up and running quickly
  • Want predictable, affordable pricing
  • Don’t have dedicated LMS expertise
  • Have straightforward compliance and training needs
  • Have 500+ learners
  • Need multi-tenant architecture
  • Require extensive customisation
  • Have complex reporting requirements
  • Have dedicated L&D or IT resources
  • Are a large enterprise with complex needs
  • Need advanced talent management features
  • Require extensive integrations
  • Have significant budget and internal resources
  • Are primarily an educational institution
  • Have technical resources to configure and maintain it
  • Need maximum flexibility over ease of use
  • Have time for a DIY approach

Everything you need, nothing you don’t:

  1. Pre-configured Moodle Workplace platform
  2. Your branding throughout
  3. Hosting on Catalyst Cloud (NZ data sovereignty)
  4. Automated compliance and certification tracking
  5. Health & safety templates to get you started
  6. Wellington-based support
  7. All updates and maintenance

Yes. If your needs grow beyond what Essentials provides, we can migrate you to a full Moodle Workplace or Totara implementation. Your content and data come with you.

  1. One-off setup fee – platform configuration, branding, initial training
  2. Under $600/month – hosting, support, maintenance, updates

No per-user charges. No hidden fees. Predictable NZD pricing.

Three days from now, you'll be glad you started.

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