Victoria to tip $3M into IT

The Victorian government today announced a $3 million package aimed at attracting people to IT jobs to drive innovation and growth across the state.

Under the Victorian ICT Workforce Development Plan, the government said it wants to overcome misconceptions and increase awareness of ICT careers; optimise the contribution ICT can offer to business; and improve the alignment between ICT qualifications and business requirements.

Victoria’s small and medium businesses lag behind larger firms in realising the productivity and efficiency benefits of ICT, and report they lack the requisite skills and capabilities, the government said in its workforce plan document.

Initiatives under the new plan, which specifically targets CEOs and senior managers inside organisations, include:

• Establishing a Victorian Committee to support activities under the Australian government’s Digital Careers Program (already running)
• Developing a package of ICT career and course awareness activities targeting students and influencers (by December 2014)
• Implementing Victorian careers awareness initiatives (by February 2015)
• Rolling out an industry-led public campaign to improve understanding of ICT in business (by December 2014)
• Supporting Vic ICT for Women to deliver Go Girl Go for IT events (by August 2014).

By February 2015, the government plans to create a business leaders’ education program to offer SMEs advice on how to use IT to transform their businesses; and by September 2014 work with commence with industry to train small businesses in core tech function such as building a Web presence.

The government will support mentoring activities to advance the careers of ICT workers, and work with industry and skills groups to improve approaches to ICT workforce planning using Federal government funding.

Since March this year, the VIC government has begun implementing an ICT capability framework for the Victorian public service. An ICT graduate employment program for the public service will follow in February next year.

There will be support for education providers and industry to integrate ICT content into non-IT disciplines – including business studies and sciences – by January 2016.

The government will also implement the ICT VET Pilot Pathways Project to help people with vocational qualifications move into ICT.

Victoria’s Minister for Technology, Gordon Rich-Phillips, said since coming to office, the Coalition government has helped create more than 4,700 technology jobs and 41 billion in tech investment.

Speaking at the Victorian iAwards dinner on July 4, Rich-Phillips said ICT careers offer excellent financial incentives and opportunities, businesses often find it difficult to recruit workers with the required ICT skills.

“With ICT roles approaching five per cent of total employment in the state, we want to create a skills pipeline in Victoria which guarantees a strong supply of workers with training and qualifications attuned to the needs of business,” he said.