With the development of a skilled digital workforce critical to Australia’s ability to compete in the technology sector, Barry Silic, CTO, Cloud and Cybersecurity, Macquarie Cloud Services, asks how the digital skills gap should be addressed.
The growing digital skills gap is a reality impacting every corner of my life.
Not only has it been felt in my role as an employer within the cloud services sector, but it has worked its way into the conversations I have with my two young children about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in their future careers.
Recent events have combined to create unprecedented demand for talent across a range of digital industries. Today the app economy in Australia employs 156,000 people, an increase of 15% since 2019, which has been spurred by the enduring popularity of social media channels.
Since the onset of COVID-19 we have witnessed the exponential rise of the digital workforce and economy. People across the world are increasingly using online channels to connect with loved ones, buy products and consume content, and organizational leaders are enabling and optimizing hybrid work arrangements.
This has created a staggering amount of data (more than 60 zettabytes in 2020 alone), accelerated innovation and created a wave of new roles in data analysis, robotics, Machine Learning, business intelligence and cybersecurity.
Roles that haven’t been so easy to fill.
In Australia, the tyranny of distance and collapse of immigration have meant that the lack of skilled digital workers reaching our shores has been acutely felt. A recent RMIT study found that an additional 156,000 new technology workers are required to meet current demands and keep pace with business transformation, and that failure to do so will jeopardise AU$10 billion in economic growth.
But according to the Australian Computer Society’s (ACS) Digital Pulse Survey 2021, a mere 7,000 students graduated with an IT degree in 2019, and in the years since, international student enrolments and completions have decreased significantly.
Beyond catapulting into the future to remain competitive on a global stage and nurturing a local digital workforce to kick-start our economic recovery, a steady supply of talent is needed to fend off cyberattacks.
Over the past year we have witnessed hacks against a hospital, food processing company and television network and the Australian Cybersecurity Center (ACSC) claims that over the period there has been a 60% increase in ransomware attacks against Australian entities. According to AustCyber, we need an additional 10,000 new cybersecurity professionals over the next four years to mitigate these threats and protect our information.
What is the solution?
This is the AU$10 billion question.
A number of initiatives have been rolled out to plug the digital skills gap, many of them worthy of our support and congratulation. The Australian Government has dedicated AU$20 billion towards higher education this year, which includes subsidised IT courses.
The NSW and ACT Governments have also recently invested heavily in the development of cybersecurity hubs with the aim of creating a skilled talent pipeline.
Other voices have focused on the immediacy of the issue, suggesting that by attracting people from other industries today we can stay ahead of the technology game and allow businesses to reach their potential.
While we should certainly encourage those from other sectors to consider a career in IT, we should not be so heavy-handed that we leave a trail of gaps in other industries. Instead, we should strike a balance by increasing opportunities for those with transferable skills to lend their expertise to the sector while creating fertile ground for new talent to grow.
We recently saw mining companies pair with vocational centers in Australia to offer industry-specific training to those in the vertical industries of defense, agriculture, construction and energy, so that workers could easily transition to mining whenever there was a demand. It makes sense to encourage this cross-pollination with the technology sector, particularly from fields with an analytical focus.
Leaders have already been increasing efficiencies with the people and skills available today, and this will continue to create opportunities. By leveraging AI and automation tools, organizations will improve economies of scale, and funnel extra time and resources into the digital upskilling of existing employees. According to a new study by the World Economic Forum, upskilling initiatives have the potential to help create 5.3 million jobs worldwide by 2030.
When workers can divert repetitive tasks to tools enabled by Machine Learning, they are gifted with time to focus on high-level and meaningful work. This enables them to unlock what psychologist Csikszentmihalyi termed the ‘flow state’, meaning they can focus on tasks without interruption and perform at an optimal level. During this time, digital experts can brainstorm and develop creative offerings, improving products and services to attract the attention of prospective employees.
It is also important for us to drive enthusiasm by planting the seed at an early stage. My path to the diverse, creative and fulfillling world of cybersecurity would have been a lot more direct had I heard about these possibilities at a university open day. Apprenticeships, college and on-the-job training are some other areas where we can attract and develop digital talent at an early stage.
Once we have engaged a range of minds to the IT field (without treading on the toes of other industries), we need to create an inclusive work environment that builds their skills from the ground up. This involves regularly connecting the employees with technology leaders within the organization, so they can glean inspiration, and encouraging graduates to voice new ideas for products and services, including equipping them with the latest technologies and systems to turn ideas into action.
I have personally witnessed how a strong graduate program can bear fruitful results for an industry. Our Cloud Architect, Stephen Roznac, joined our organization with a Bachelor in Classical Music (Composition) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and no formal technical training. Through a combination of support and personal motivation, Stephen rose through the ranks and is now one of the most technical people within our company.
More recently, our teammate Kayal Manamohan joined the organization with a theoretical understanding about the foundations of networking and computer science, and in just three months converted this into meaningful, practical action. Kayal now troubleshoots Cisco routers, adds policies on Fortinet and completes successful backups on Dell EMC’s Avamar technology on a daily basis, and is learning and progressing at a rapid rate.
The meaningful development of a skilled digital workforce is important for businesses to unlock their transformative potential and for Australia to remain competitive in the burgeoning technology sector. There is no simple solution, but if we increase avenues into these industries, provide a supportive environment for budding professionals and increase operational efficiencies, we can start creating meaningful talent now instead of waiting for borders to re-open.
How do you think we should address the digital skills gap? Connect with me on LinkedIn to share your thoughts.
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