Digital skills key to addressing national skills shortage

AUSTRALIA – Following National Skills Week, the Future Skills Organisation (FSO) are emphasising the importance of digital skills in addressing national skill shortages. This comes off the back of findings from their recent report titled Growing Australia’s Digital Workforce which found there is a projected 47 percent growth in the digital expert workforce by 2026.

Key findings from the report include the need for digital skills across every industry and every job, with a 12 percent increase in demand for digital skills across the economy since 2016.

The CEO of Future Skills Organisation Patrick Kidd says National Skills Week is a critical time for us to set our sights on what the future of training and skills development look like in Australia.

“Skills, training and workforce shortages have dominated headlines and troubled employers, especially in recent months. These are the skills that will help to improve productivity across the economy. Our findings and learnings from our time as the Digital Skills Organisation will now inform our work as the Jobs and Skills Council for Australia’s Finance, Technology and Business sectors,” Mr Kidd said.

“It’s timely that these insights are shared during National Skills Week. We need industry, governments and training providers to come together to create a diverse, dynamic and exciting training system that is relevant to the needs of industry and meets the expectations of learners. ”

As the Jobs and Skills Council for Australia’s Finance, Technology and Business sectors, the Future Skills Organisation has been tasked to provide industry with a stronger voice into the VET sector to unlock Australia’s skill and talent potential.

“We need to collaborate with people who are passionate about developing the skills across Finance, Technology and Business to help drive the changes needed in the education and training system.”
“We want to build on the many great initiatives which are being trialled with a view to reinforcing those which will help us to deliver outcomes at scale across the Finance, Technology and Business sectors.”

National Skills Week is an opportunity to emphasise the important role that skill development plays in ensuring a prosperous economic and social future for Australia, along with celebrating the opportunities and successes from the VET sector.

Key points

• 12% increase in demand for digital skills across the economy since 2016
• 47% growth is projected for the digital expert workforce by 2026
• 370,000 digital worker shortfall is projected for Australia by 2026

About the Future Skills Organisation
The Future Skills Organisation is a Jobs and Skills Council funded by the Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

FSO’s mission is to advance transferable and industry-specific skills in the finance, technology and business sectors. Through close collaboration with industry, unions, training providers and the government, we work collectively to benefit both employees and employers.
www.futureskillsorganisation.com.au