The Federal government’s Intergenerational Report failed to address the critical issue of digital skills, which are now the foundation for a successful economy, the Australian Computer Society (ACS) said on Friday. The report, which was released on Thursday, said governments needed to learn lessons from the private sector when it comes to using technology to improve service delivery. The creation of the government’s Digital Transformation Office is an step in that direction, the report said. However, ACS president Brenda Aynsley said although the report reinforces the need to retain youth, women and mature workers, it neglected to address how they will be provided with the right digital skills. “There need to be a more focused and integrated education and training strategy by governments to help ensure Australia has the necessary digital skills base. “With rates of productivity growth in Australia expected to stall at 1.5 per cent for the next four decades, Australia faces a major economic challenge,” said Aynsley. “It is estimated that technology jobs have a multiplier effect of any sector, with each tech job creating five more jobs in other sectors – three times more than traditional industries. “ICT professionals have a pivotal role to play in driving future growth and a stronger focus by governments on fostering Australia’s digital skills base will reignite productivity growth.” The ACS has called for governments – state and federal – to place a stronger emphasis on digital technologies in education. This includes mandating a ‘digital technologies’ stream as part of the primary and secondary school curriculum with a particular focus on coding The organisation has called for all VET courses to teach a minimum level of ICT skills and competencies; and provide more work-integrated learning opportunities for tertiary technology students to develop work readiness. There should also be a focus on assisting SMEs attain a minimum level of digital competence and literacy, particularly programs that help organisations address specific areas of weakness, the ACS said. “On a big picture level, we need to ensure there is an appropriate pipeline of ICT human capital to power our economy. The jury is no out – ICT skills and ICT education are now critical to national productivity and economic success,” Aynsley said. “We can no longer rely on traditional economic growth sectors such as resources and manufacturing. Our future economic gains, across all industry sectors, will be powered by technology and ICT infrastructure.” Follow CIO Australia on Twitter and Like us on Facebook… Twitter: @CIO_Australia, Facebook: CIO Australia, or take part in the CIO conversation on LinkedIn: CIO Australia Follow Byron Connolly on Twitter:@ByronConnolly Related content News ServiceNow continues workflow platform expansion with Utah release The company also doubles down on its customer success automation efforts, but bucks the trend by omitting GPT. By Peter Sayer Mar 22, 2023 7 mins CIO Build Automation Enterprise Architecture BrandPost Don’t buy into the hype of network observability to realize digital transformation success Just collect the right data and follow it to where it leads you. By Jeremy Rossbach, Chief Technical Evangelist, Broadcom Mar 22, 2023 3 mins Networking Feature How culture and strategic partnerships help fuel transformation Marc Hale, CTO for AIA New Zealand, recently spoke with Cathy O’Sullivan, editor for CIO New Zealand, about navigating the complexities of digital transformation, and focusing on culture to enable healthier outcomes for customers. By CIO staff Mar 22, 2023 7 mins CTO Digital Transformation Change Management Feature 10 things CIOs wish they knew from the start Go slower. Network. Tell stories. Get training. Be kind. CIOs have plenty of advice they’d give to their younger selves if they could. By Martin Veitch Mar 22, 2023 7 mins CIO Careers IT Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe