Australia has a tech explosion, but there is a lack of workers and fac

Australian workers could make thousands of dollars more every year by leaving their current work and reskilling in the technology sector, a new study has disclosed. Australia will have an extra 100,000 technology jobs in five years time, as the digital sector ramps up its contribution to economic growth. But local IT graduates and skilled migrants alone aren’t expected to meet the rising demand for technology workers.

The findings have emerged in the Australian Computer Society’s annual stocktake of the nation’s digital workforce and economy, prepared by Deloitte Access Economics.

An estimated 100,000 new IT roles will be created by 2024, bringing the total to approximately 792,000, said the Australia’s Digital Pulse 2019 report commissioned by the Australian Computer Society (ACS).

While retraining into the IT industry can give the average Australian worker an increase in the salary of $11,000, the country is expected to fight to find workers who can handle the upcoming tsunami, warned the report.

There has been a decrease in the stake in IT in the industry of Vocational Education and Training (VET), with 11,875 IT subjects enrolled between 2016 and 2017.

University completions in technology grew significantly over the same era to just under 6000.

The ACS chairman Yohan Ramasundara said, “Meeting the voracious demands for more technology workers and increased investments from Australia’s businesses will be a huge challenge.”

Over the next five years, the four leading sectors expected to account for 66.4 percent of total employment growth are:

Health Care and Social Assistance
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
Construction
Education and Training

Reference: AAP

Sukh Sandhu

Executive Director

Sukh has been working in the VET and Higher Education Industry for over 25 years. In this time, he has held several roles with RTO's and Higher Education Providers (HEP) including CEO roles for International Colleges and National Compliance and Quality Assurance Manager roles for several RTO's, TAFE's and Universities. Sukh has also worked for the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) as a Business Systems Project Official. Sukh is a Canadian permanent resident and Australian citizen.

Sukh has had extensive project management experience in risk management, compliance, administration and as a training consultant. He has extensive knowledge in government compliance standards and has participated in nearly one hundred audits across Australia and provided consultancy advice regarding ASQA/VRQA, TEQSA, ACPET, DET-HESG, VQF/Higher Education, ELICOS, NEAS, ANMAC, AHPRA, CRICOS, ESOS and ISO.

Sukh is a member of several independent professional organisations and government bodies including, ACPET, VELG, ACS, AITD, MARA, MIA, ISANA, APEX, IEEE, The Internet Society (Global Member), AISIP, IAMOT, ACM, OISV, APACALL, IWA, Eta Kappa Nu, EDSIG and several others.

Sukh's qualifications include two MBAs, three masters in IT and systems, a Graduate diploma of management learning, Diploma in training design and development, Diploma in vocational education training, Diploma of work, health and safety, Diploma of Quality Auditing, Advanced diploma of management, Advanced diploma in marketing, human resources, information technology, and a number of other courses and qualifications. He has been working as a lecturer and as a trainer and assessor since 1998, Sukh has been a vocal advocate of audit reforms and system centred auditing practices rather than auditor centred auditing practices for many years.