Building Victoria’s digital workforce
Deloitte predicts Victoria needs 33,000 more tech workers by 2024.
Eighty-seven per cent of jobs in Australia require digital literacy skills, with Deloitte forecasting that Victoria will need an extra 33,000 technology workers by 2024.
To address the gap, the Victorian Government launched a $64M Digital Skills and Jobs program in 2021 with the aim of providing a cost-effective approach to train and develop the state’s digital talent through educational upskilling. The program supports mid-career Victorians through 12-week intensive training courses to gain qualifications and skills in areas like cyber security, IT support, digital marketing and business analytics, before the opportunity to be matched with a Victorian business for a 12-week government-funded paid placement.
RMIT Online was selected as an education provider to deliver a range of digital business courses with the goal of enhancing every participant’s digital knowledge and experience while supporting them to add new capabilities that will qualify them for future industries and roles. RMIT Online collaborates weekly with the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions and its delivery partners to ensure the success of all participants and the overall program.
RMIT Online's Workforce Development Director Olivia Whitty said we must work in partnership with government and business if we are to build meaningful and practical solutions to address workforce capabilities.
“This is an example of where we've had real impact on both reskilling everyday Victorians, but also supporting business as they build future pipelines.”
Since launch, the Digital Jobs program has helped match more than 740 Victorian businesses with more than 2,500 candidates, offering a range of experience, knowledge and transferrable skills. Today, nearly 60% of candidates completed an RMIT Online program through the initiative, 48% of which are now working in a digital role, with 80% of employers agreeing that the participants they hired had adequate foundational knowledge in their digital skill.
Here are the most popular RMIT Online digital courses on offer:
- Data Analytics – This is the most popular course with 20% of applicants expressing their interest to learn more of this skill. We also found that demand for this course has grown 30% in the past year.
- Digital Marketing Operations – Our second most popular course, which is one of the most in-demand job roles today, was chosen by 14% of applicants.
- Cyber Security – With the advancement of technology, more businesses are prioritising online security. 12% of applicants have shown interest in expanding their skills in this field.
Other digital courses offered by RMIT Online include:
- Programming and software development
- Cloud computing
- AI and machine learning
- User experience (UX) and user interface (UI)
- Product management
- Web development
Hear from one of RMIT Online’s Students:
Jelvie Grech is one of the first wave of Victorians taking part in the Digital Job program and has completed the Customer Experience Strategy and Design and Product Management short courses. Here’s what Jelvie had to say about her experience.
“The best thing about RMIT Online is its flexibility. I could read the subject material at any time, and I had access to everything so I could pace myself based on my schedule. I also tackled all my modules and then used the webinar to check my understanding.”
Hear from the Digital Jobs program:
Senior Manager, Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions on the program.
"Technology continues to revolutionise the way we live and work. For businesses to thrive in a digital world, we need more people with digital skills for digital jobs. The Victorian Government’s Digital Jobs program is building the state’s digital workforce by training and upskilling up to 5,000 mid-career Victorians so they can transition into digital careers. It was critical for us to find reputable education providers that could deliver training that met industry needs. RMIT Online mapped well to the required skills to be addressed, demonstrated they can deliver at the scale needed and most importantly, received high satisfaction from participants for their courses.”