Industry submission to Federal Government highlights the potential of VET to service the IT sector

Cisco, Optus, and TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) have called for urgent action to train the ‘blue tech’ workforce they argue is needed for the Australian IT industry of the near future. The claims are made in a recent submission to the federal Government which makes two recommendations:

• The Australian Government to provide funding to assess the size of the blue tech market (i.e. technology-intensive jobs requiring sub-degree level qualifications) down to the individual job role, so TAFEs can more quickly prepare and respond to the anticipated demand. It will be critical to understand the opportunity this presents for the re-employment of Australians within industries affected by COVID-19. 

• The Australian Government to provide funding for the development and delivery of one or two micro-credentials for digital skills to help in the re-skilling and up-skilling effort as part of a wider productivity drive that will support the recovery of existing industries and the support of new industries as we move into the recovery phase.

Read the full submission here