Flinders University’s Diploma of Digital Technologies has allotted an additional 120 slots specifically for women to gain practical high-tech digital skills vital for their career path and to meet workplace demand for upskilled workers.
The program’s expansion was made possible through a $3.4 million commitment recently provided by the Federal Government in line with the demand for digital upskilling around Australia. This also follows the previous first round of funding for women in STEM made last year.
The Megatrends Report (2022) earlier forecasted that the country will need an estimated 6.5 million more digital workers by 2025 – an increase of 79 per cent from 2020 – to keep up with the demand and the changes currently happening in the technology landscape.
The Government has already set a target of 1.2 million tech-related jobs that need to be created by 2030, as was discussed at the recent Jobs and Skills Summit.
“This successful course has already benefited workers around Australia from a range of industries, from advanced manufacturing, defence and space to wine, government, small-to-medium businesses – and STEM teachers who will encourage more students into engineering and other fields – and is helping to raise equity and new opportunities for women in STEM careers,” Program Director and Flinders University Professor of Innovation Giselle Rampersad said.
“Our award-winning Diploma of Digital Technologies, supported by the federally funded Women in STEM Cadetships and Advanced Apprenticeship Program, will now add to the success of the first round of funding, and build on the 150 women currently gaining skills through the program,” Professor Rampersad, who also is co-director of the Flinders Centre for Defence Engineering Research and Training, based at the Tonsley Innovation District in Adelaide, added.
The Flinders University diploma course offers online and intensive workshops in topics covering cybersecurity, 3D printing, robotics and autonomous technologies, IoT and sensor-based systems, electronics, design and CAD, innovation and Industry 4.0. It has since expanded nationally, providing professional development opportunities to women across over 100 organisations, in every state and territory in the country.
Professor Rampersad said that the program is “proving the outcomes of the collaboration can be replicated across a range of industry and can be further expanded and scaled to others, including renewables and medical technologies”.
“Indeed, the program is significant in promoting and elevating equity and access across the higher education sector nationally,” she said. “There is outstanding innovation happening, which is an exemplar model for developing a future enabled workforce in collaboration with industry, for economic development and jobs growth for our young people.”
The program started in 2020 with industry partner BAE Systems and 300 workers have now undertaken the Flinders University Diploma of Digital Technologies.
