Working smarter with data – Australia’s first digital apprenticeship

@AuManufacturing’s new series, ‘Working smarter with data‘, continues today with the launch of Australia’s first digital apprenticeship.

With COVID-19 casting a long shadow on the plans of the nation’s school leavers, industry has teamed up with Skills Lab to launch Australia’s first Digital Engineering Apprenticeship as a pathway to an in-demand career.

The new apprenticeship, launched by South Australian innovation and skills minister David Pisoni, offers school leavers a three-year placement in some of Australia’s top tier organisations under a paid-to-learn model, creating roles recently coined ‘new-collar jobs’.

The programme delivers on growing demand from industry employers for a new way to manage digital workflow.

Creation of a new class of digital specialists in the Australian engineering community is predicted to be a win-win response to the fourth industrial revolution skills gap, with the potential to launch the careers of hundreds of school leavers across the country over the next five years.

SA Power Networks is one of a number of businesses gearing up to host their first round of Digital Engineering Apprentices early 2021.

Head of Engineering Design and Technical Services at SA Power Networks, Peter Barnard said: “With technology changing so rapidly, there is a clear and present need for a new group of professionals who bring specialist training on how the different technical CAD packages and data can all come together in a customer-centric way.”

The adoption of this next-generation career path holds potential for both employers and school leavers.

Apprentices gain a nationally accredited Diploma of Applied Technologies while adding immediate value to organisations through application of learning in current projects.

Combining these learnings with traditional engineering skills, the collaboration is predicted to transform operations while providing real-world learning to the apprentice and reducing the risk of skills shortages for business.

Skills Lab General Manager Laura Mabikafola said: “This new wave of digital specialists provide a vital boost to the capabilities of Australian industry.

“Graduates of the Digital Engineering Apprenticeship will have the combination of experience, skills and industry-recognised diploma to advance an exciting career.”

@AuManufacturings’s series is brought to you with the support of Fusion5, the largest 5-Star NetSuite Partner in Australia & New Zealand, providing full-featured cloud business management software solutions.

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