Tasmanian ICT Workforce Action Plan 2020-2023

The Tasmanian ICT Workforce Action Plan 2020-2023 Progress Report 2021

Tasmanian ICT Workforce Action Plan 2020-2023 Progress Report 2021

The Tasmanian ICT Workforce Action Plan 2020-2023 was launched on 20 December 2019 and includes 28 actions intended to drive ongoing digital transformation of the Tasmanian economy, enhance student engagement in ICT careers, improve employment pathways, strengthen job-readiness for graduates and increase diversity across the State’s ICT workforce.

While progress of some actions was delayed by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, others have made notable headway.

Action 1: Establish an ICT Workforce Advisory Committee .............................................................. 1

Action 2: Publish an environmental scan and capability map ........................................................... 1

Action 3: Develop and promote workforce data and analysis tools .................................................. 2

Action 4: Engage with national ICT training and workforce groups ................................................... 2

Action 5: Develop cross-industry engagement opportunities ........................................................... 3

Action 6: Explore the development of an ICT ‘Package of Learning’ ................................................. 3

Action 7: Develop and support ICT career expos and events............................................................ 3

Action 8: Enhance tertiary curriculum co-creation and co-delivery .................................................. 4

Action 9: Enhance VET curriculum co-creation and co-delivery ........................................................ 4

Action 10: Enhance school curriculum co-creation and co-delivery .................................................. 5

Action 11: Invest in ICT traineeships and apprenticeships ............................................................... 5

Action 12: Co-design a new Work Integrated Learning program ...................................................... 6

Action 13: Explore the development of vendor-based traineeship programs .................................... 6

Action 14: Promote investment in ICT upskilling and reskilling ........................................................ 7

Action 15: Design and run a pilot of the ‘technical pool’ program .................................................... 7

Action 16: Develop a mentoring and professional development program ........................................ 8

Action 17: Develop a program to promote cross sectoral pathways ................................................. 8

Action 18: Deliver digital culture and capability initiatives across government ................................. 9

Action 19: Promote the adoption of SFIA capability framework ...................................................... 9

Action 20: Develop Industry 4.0 technology short courses ............................................................ 10

Action 21: Deliver the next phase of the Women in ICT Pilot Program ........................................... 10

Action 22: Publish an ICT sector diversity report ........................................................................... 11

Action 23: Develop and promote initiatives that engage girls in ICT ............................................... 11

Action 24: Design a pilot program that supports international student graduates........................... 12

Action 25: Develop industry best-practices and tools for workplace diversity ................................. 12

Action 26: Develop a Tasmanian Technology brand and tool kit .................................................... 12

Action 27: Appoint a Tasmanian Technology Advocate ................................................................. 13

Action 28: Promote and celebrate local technology success stories ............................................... 13

The Tasmanian ICT Workforce Action Plan 2020-2023 Progress Report 2021 1

Action 1 Action Establish an ICT Workforce Advisory Committee

An ICT Workforce Advisory Committee will be established in the first quarter of 2020 to oversee the implementation of this plan and drive collaboration and information sharing across industry, education and government stakeholders.

Delivery partners TasICT / Australian Computer Society / University of Tasmania / TasTAFE / Department of State Growth / Department of Premier and Cabinet / Department of Education

Status The ICT Workforce Advisory Committee was established in March 2020 and includes all industry partners. The first meeting was held on 23 March 2020 and discussion focused on the emerging COVID-19 situation, the Department of State Growth’s response, and issues that had been identified by the key stakeholders.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, additional meetings were not held during 2020, however most key stakeholders were able to make progress on implementing the agreed actions. Advisory Committee meetings will recommence in the second half of 2021.

Action 2 Action Publish an environmental scan and capability map

The Department of State Growth will work with industry to publish an environmental scan and capability map of the Tasmanian ICT sector to deepen understanding of industry capabilities, export market involvement, and workforce outlook.

Delivery partners Department of State Growth

Status The scope of work for the environmental scan and capability map of the Tasmanian ICT sector is expected to be finalised in mid-2021. State Growth Business and Jobs Division is working with the Office of the Coordinator General and Skills Tasmania to ensure the scan includes an analysis of industry capabilities, export market involvement, and workforce outlook.


Action 3 Action Develop and promote workforce data and analysis tools

Skills Tasmania will work with data and research providers to develop and promote data collection and analysis tools that will provide deeper insight into the Tasmanian ICT workforce and enable market participants to better respond to changing or emerging demand.


Status Skills Tasmania purchased a license for profile.id products providing users with free access to current local demographic and economic data.

Access to industry sector and employment reports as well as an economic overview will assist users with their workforce planning.

Action 4 Action Engage with national ICT training and workforce groups

The Australian Computer Society (ACS) and Skills Tasmania will actively engage with national groups such as Skills Australia, the ICT Industry Reference Committee, the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) and the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) to identify and understand emerging ICT skills and training issues, trends and reforms.

Delivery partners Department of State Growth / TasICT / Australian Computer Society

Status As part of the Australian Government’s Critical Skills for Recovery, the Australian Industry Skills Council has developed a range of new skill sets to address urgent IT workforce needs in the context of COVID-19. These include cyber security, cloud computing, data analytics and the internet of things.

Two projects - Getting a job in IT and Getting a Specialised Job in IT were undertaken by the Service Skills Organisation in preparation for approval by the Australian Industry Skills Council in consultation with the ICT sector and state government agencies (State Growth, TasTAFE, and Education). A further project called Getting a Specialised Job in Telecommunications is currently in development.


Action 5 Action Develop cross-industry engagement opportunities

TasICT and ACS will develop opportunities to engage with Tasmanian industry bodies to gain insights into the digital transformation needs and technology skills gaps of key industries.

Delivery partners TasICT / Australian Computer Society / Department of State Growth

Status Progress of this action in 2020 was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A joint cross-industry forum is being planned for second half of 2021.

Action 6 Action Explore the development of an ICT ‘Packages of Learning’

The Department of Education, in partnership with industry, will explore the development of a Packages of Learning pilot program for Years 9-10 focussed on the ICT industry.

Delivery partners TasICT / Department of Education

Status The Department of Education has committed to deliver five Packages of Learning by the end of 2021. The four Packages of Learning piloted in 2019 are: Advanced Manufacturing; Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; Architecture and Construction; and Tourism and Hospitality

Once these have been completed to full implementation, dependant on budget considerations, other Packages of Learning such as ICT could be considered.

Action 7 Action Develop and support ICT career expos and events

Industry and education stakeholders will support and develop ICT career expos and information events (such as BiG Day In) to engage secondary students and their parents in ICT.

Delivery partners Australian Computer Society / Department of Education

Status Due to COVID-19, the BiG Day In ICT Careers Conference was cancelled for 2020. The 2020 Schools Cyber Security Challenges was supported by the Department of Education through attendance at the Schools Cyber Challenges Launch which was held on the 26 October 2020 at The Reception Room, Parliament House. The Department also promoted a range of classroom-ready student and teacher resources to Tasmanian schools, designed to promote cyber security skills and aligned with the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies and the ICT Capability.


Action 8 Action Enhance tertiary curriculum co-creation and co-delivery

The University of Tasmania (UTAS) will develop new programs and partnerships that bring leading local ICT companies and professionals with expertise in emerging digital technologies onto campus and into classrooms.

Delivery partners University of Tasmania / TasICT / Australian Computer Society

Status In early 2020 UTAS established an ICT Industry Advisory Board (IAB) for the Bachelor of Information Communication and Technology (BICT) and the Masters of Information Technology and Systems (MITS).

The IAB will provide industry expertise to assist in ensuring the currency and future readiness of the BICT and MITS at UTAS and ensure their alignment with directions of the profession. The advice includes feedback on current and proposed discipline offerings and skills requirements in ICT and available career paths for ICT graduates.

Representation was drawn from the sector, ACS and State Government. Consultation meetings were held in March, July and November 2020.

Action 9 Action Enhance VET curriculum co-creation and co-delivery

TasTAFE will enhance its ICT industry partnership programs, and through its Centres of Excellence and Industry Advisory Groups identify emerging digital skills gaps occurring across key industries.

Delivery partners TasICT / Australian Computer Society / TasTAFE

Status TasTAFE has commenced preliminary work to develop a cyber security program for the energy sector. The implementation of the new national ICT training package in 2021 will provide further opportunities to integrate relevant ICT training in response to identified skill gaps.

Further work is needed to enhance ICT industry partnership programs, and identify emerging digital skills gaps occurring across key industries through TasTAFE’s Centres of Excellence and Industry Advisory Groups.


Action 10 Action Enhance school curriculum co-creation and co-delivery

The Department of Education will seek opportunities for industry aligned new course development for years 11 and 12, and promote exemplar industry-school partnerships.

Delivery partners Department of Education / TasICT / Australian Computer Society

Status The Department of Education’s Vocational Learning and Career Education team as part of Years 9-12 Learning supports many peak industry bodies, education providers and schools with a range of educational opportunities either directly or indirectly supporting ICT skills, workforce capacity building and work exposure and career awareness programs.

Although COVID-19 limited the opportunities to explore industry-school partnerships, a number of existing partnerships and programs received ongoing support from the Department of Education in 2020 including: Burnie Primary’s Coding, Arts and Robotics program; LiveTiles and Bayview Secondary College partnership; and Bayview Secondary College continues to offer the Certificate II Creative Industries VET course in partnership with Swinburne.

Action 11 Action Invest in ICT traineeships and apprenticeships

Skills Tasmania will work with industry to promote investment in traineeships and apprenticeships in ICT through the Apprentice and Trainee Training Fund.

Delivery partners Department of State Growth / TasICT

Status The Tasmanian Adult Learning Strategy – skills for work and life was launched in November 2020 with input from across government, the community and business sectors supported by $4.36 million in targeted investments. The strategy will support lifelong learning for all Tasmanians to improve the skills of individuals and help them find fulfilling careers.

In November 2020, Skills Tasmania released the statewide campaign The Right Track to promote the value of vocational education and training (VET) and what it can do for Tasmanian learners, businesses and industry.

TasICT has been provided with details on the range of JobTrainer Fund courses that are available via Skills Tasmania, for promotion to members. Courses are available at no cost to eligible learners (ie a Tasmanian job seeker, a school leaver, aged 17-24 or are looking for work where training may help). Options include the Certificate III in Information, Digital Media and Technology and Certificate IV in Information Technology Support.


Action 12 Action Co-design a new Work Integrated Learning Program

UTAS in partnership with industry will co-design a new Work Integrated Learning Program incorporating the latest industry practices, frameworks and methodologies to support students in gaining real-life and relevant ICT industry experience.

Delivery partners TasICT / University of Tasmania

Status UTAS appointed a Work Integrated Learning & Research Coordinator to work with business/industry to develop more placement opportunities and a new placement project unit. To address demand and supply issues for student placements with industry, UTAS and the ICT industry are co-designing standard projects to emulate a work placement that students can tackle either individually or in teams. These projects are offered as year-long 2-unit option from semester 1 2021.

The School of ICT in conjunction with TasICT has developed a Security Pathway supported by a suite of scholarships in the Bachelor of Information and Communication Technology (BICT) running in parallel and expanding on the current Cyber Security Major in 2021. The Placement Project units will align with the existing Capstone Project units.

Action 13 Action Explore the development of vendor-based traineeship programs

TasTAFE and Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPAC) will investigate opportunities to partner with industry to develop vendor based traineeship programs that combine Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications, industry-recognised certifications and paid on-the-job learning.

Delivery partners TasTAFE / Department of Premier and Cabinet

Status In coordination with the implementation of the new national ICT training package in 2021, TasTAFE has actively engaged with Cisco Networking Academy to deliver industry-recognised certifications as part of the nationally accredited VET ICT training in Tasmania for both teachers and students.

TasTAFE has identified that further work is needed to develop Microsoft traineeships in coordination with the DPAC DSS and the Department of Education and recommended an awareness campaign be run targeting the ICT sector in 2021 for both businesses and students driven by a collaborative effort between Skills Tasmania, TasTAFE, ANPs and Industry.


Action 14 Action Promote investment in ICT upskilling and reskilling

TasICT and Skills Tasmania will actively promote funding initiatives, such as the Skills Fund, to encourage increased investment in the upskilling and reskilling of ICT workers.

Delivery partners TasICT / Department of State Growth

Status See Action 11

Action 15 Action Design and run a pilot of the ‘technical pool’ program

UTAS, in partnership with industry, will develop a pilot ‘technical pool’ program that supports digital transformation projects via an on-demand talent pool of ICT graduates.

Delivery partners TasICT/ University of Tasmania

Status UTAS has established a pilot Technical Pool Program in 2020 to provide a pool of highly skilled ICT engineers to Tasmanian businesses seeking to transition to Industry 4.0. The industry/business focused learning gained via the student placements is integrated back into the Learning & Teaching of the Discipline, improving the work readiness of all students and graduates.

Demand for the program remains high with 43 student applications received for the second round of recruitment; 17 offers were made to join the program (11 in Hobart and six in Launceston). Since October 2020, Technical Pool Program has had 25 members in total with four projects initiated in 2020 encompassing process automation, cyber security, data warehousing and conversation system commercialisation.


Action 16 Action Develop a mentoring and professional development program

ACS will develop a targeted local program to support ongoing professional development and mentoring of early-career ICT professionals.

Delivery partners Australian Computer Society / TasICT

Status In mid-2020 State Growth approved a grant of $25 000 (ex GST) to TasICT for Project Springboard to upskill early-career ICT professionals to meet the identified ICT skills gaps of participating Tasmanian businesses, with mentoring and networking support provided to participants by TasICT members. Following an open EOI process in August 2020 a total of nine candidates for placement were identified with ICT specialisations including front- and back-end developers, gaming, data analysis, testing and business analysis.

Six employers are participating: MyState, Intuit Technologies, ISW, Blundstone Australia, St Michael’s Collegiate and Engage & Experience (provides charities and not for profits with centralised ICT support). RedAppleIT is providing significant assistance via matching services.

Five participants were placed in temporary internship-style roles with participating companies to fill identified ICT skills and capability gaps. Personal development plans have been developed for all participants, with mentoring sessions to commence in January 2021.

Action 17 Action Develop a program to promote cross sectoral pathways

ACS and TasICT will explore the development of initiatives that support the transitioning and reskilling of workers from other sectors into ICT.

Delivery partners Australian Computer Society / TasICT

Status See Action 11.


Action 18 Action Deliver digital culture and capability initiatives across government

As part of the Tasmanian Government’s digital transformation strategy (Our Digital Future), DPAC will implement a range of initiatives across agencies to support the uplift of digital capabilities of the government’s ICT workforce.

Delivery partners Department of Premier and Cabinet

Status In 2020 DPAC DSS provided a broad range of training and advice to uplift digital capabilities of the government’s ICT workforce, particularly in relation to cyber security in the context of increased threats due to COVID-19. Training has covered a range of topics including incident response, awareness about spear phishing, managing privileged user accounts on IT systems and exercising incident response plans.

The Government is also participating in national cyber security programs to exchange cyber security knowledge with other Australian governments and industries. Specialist cyber security services have been engaged to protect Tasmanian Government systems and information including: central monitoring and filtering of potentially malicious email and internet traffic which is augmented by anti-virus on desktop computers in agencies; frequent intelligence reports on threats and vulnerabilities; threat and risk assessments of important systems; and incident response support.

Action 19 Action Promote the adoption of Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA)

capability framework

ACS and TasICT will encourage the adoption of the SFIA to provide industry with a common language and consistent approach in identifying ICT skills gaps, assessing skills, and defining career and skills development pathways.”

Delivery partners TasICT / Australian Computer Society / Department of Premier and Cabinet

Status The Department of Premier and Cabinet has confirmed that current planning for state service positions does not include the adoption of SFIA. Discussions are continuing to progress the uplift of digital capabilities of the government’s ICT workforce.


Action 20 Action Develop Industry 4.0 technology short courses

UTAS in partnership with industry, will develop and launch short courses to support business leaders in developing a strategic understanding of Industry 4.0 technology and its impacts on skills and workforce development.

Delivery partners TasICT / University of Tasmania

Status In July 2020 UTAS confirmed via the Discipline of ICT Industry Advisory Board that discussions had been initiated with TestLAB in relation to the development of an ‘Introduction to Industry 4.0’ COVID-19 restrictions delayed further progress however discussions about TestLab short courses are expected to resume in 2021. UTAS will deliver the first short course (on AI) in Semester 1 2021 as a prototype with discussion of other offerings continuing.

Action 21 Action Deliver the next phase of the Women in ICT Pilot Program

ACS and TasTAFE will deliver the next stage of the Women in ICT Pilot Program. The 2020 program will support 25 female students to undertake a Certificate III in Information, Digital Media Technology, combined with work placements, professional development and mentoring support.

Delivery partners Australian Computer Society / TasTAFE

Status The Women in ICT Program was delivered in 2020 with 18 enrolling into the ICT Certificate III course and 10 completing fully with three receiving statements of attainment. The 10 students undertook two-week work placements with Department of Education, Intuit Technologies, TasNetworks and ISW. A number of those students have either found ICT employment or are enrolling in further education in 2021. Some students have also been offered places in the TasICT Springboard program and one was offered a place in the TasNetworks student program.

Monitoring and evaluation of the program was undertaken by ACS to inform future program development. Funding for the program concluded in February 2021. TasTAFE aims to embed the mentoring and work placements into the standard ICT training.


Action 22 Action Publish an ICT sector diversity report

ACS will publish an ICT sector diversity report based on action-research conducted over the life of the Women in ICT Program. The findings will provide a valuable evidence base to develop an on-going program, or to develop other similar programs that enables under-represented cohorts of the community to gain education and employment in the ICT sector.

Delivery partners Australian Computer Society

Status As the ACS had no Tasmanian state manager in 2020 this action has not progressed. A new state manager commenced in late March 2021.

Action 23 Action Develop and promote initiatives that engage girls in ICT

Industry and education stakeholders will develop and promote programs, such as the UTAS Women in Technology and Tech for Girls initiative, which inspire and encourage students to pursue an ICT education and career in technology.

Delivery partners TasICT / Australian Computer Society / University of Tasmania / TasTAFE / Department of Education

Status The Department of Education promoted the Girls’ Tech Day, held virtually from 14 to 28 November 2020. The program included speaker and interactive coding sessions to explore Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Coding, Virtual Reality and Robotics.

TasTAFE submitted an application for the Australian Government Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship grant program (Round 3) in November 2020, aimed at lifting diversity in cyber security in Tasmania. A decision is expected in 2021.

In 2020 UTAS confirmed that the School of Education, in partnership with the Cradle Coast Zonta Club, had established Tasmania’s first Girls' Programming Network (GPN). A Tasmanian Community Fund grant of more than $10 000 will be used to cover establishment costs. Delivery in 2020 was interrupted by COVID-19, eight workshops in Burnie, Circular Head and Latrobe are scheduled for 2021, with almost 200 girls to benefit.

In State Growth sponsored the 2021 AMWU Women’s Forum, held in Launceston in March 2021. The Department facilitated a booth at the Career’s Expo and several Tasmanian ICT companies participated over the two days to promote opportunities to visiting school groups.


Action 24 Action Design a pilot program that supports international student graduates

UTAS in partnership with industry and government will design a pilot program that supports employment and entrepreneurial pathways for international student graduates in ICT.

Delivery partners Australian Computer Society / University of Tasmania / Department of State Growth

Status The School of ICT will introduce an Entrepreneurship Pathway for second year students within the MITS program in Semester 1 2023. To accompany this Entrepreneurship Pathway the School will launch an Entrepreneurship Business Plan Competition (EBPC). The EBPC involves students competing in teams of international and domestic students to receive a prize of $50 000 per team upon graduation from the MITS and BICT. Up to ten successful teams will be offered seed funding in the form of a lump sum of $50 000 to develop their project into a working Tasmanian based business.

Both the pathway and the competition will provide a route for high performing students from the MITS program to join the Technical Pool Program initiative (see #15) and members of the TPP will also teach back into the Entrepreneurship Pathway.

Action 25 Action Develop industry best-practices and tools for workplace diversity

TasICT and ACS will develop and promote best-practice industry resources, tools and initiatives to raise awareness and enable ICT sector employers to improve workplace diversity and inclusion.

Delivery partners TasICT / Australian Computer Society

Status As the ACS had no Tasmanian state manager in 2020 this action has not progressed. A new state manager commenced in late March 2021.

Action 26 Action Develop a Tasmanian Technology brand and tool kit

Brand Tasmania will work with industry to develop a brand mission and vision to help guide how the Tasmanian technology community celebrates and shares it story.


Status To guide the development of a Tasmanian technology sector brand and tool kit, the annual TasICT Conference held on 13 November 2020 included a Brand Tasmania session to evolve the sector’s understanding of the Tasmanian brand concept. State Growth will continue consultation with the sector in 2021 in partnership with Brand Tasmania to develop the brand and tool kit.


Action 27 Action Appoint a Tasmanian Technology Advocate

DSG will appoint a Technology Advocate that will work with industry to raise awareness of the Tasmanian technology brand and help promote Tasmanian technology products, services, and capabilities to the world.


Status Appointment of Trade Advocates is a key part of the Tasmanian Trade Strategy 2019-2025. Trade Advocates have been appointed to the United States, Japan and Singapore and will promote the Tasmanian ICT Sector as part of their roles.

Action 28 Action Promote and celebrate local technology success stories

Industry and government will develop targeted initiatives, missions and campaigns to celebrate and promote Tasmanian technology success stories to inspire local students, encourage technology entrepreneurs, and attract new business, investment and talent to the state.


Status A number of leading Tasmanian ICT companies are included as profiles in the Make it Tasmania campaign - www.makeittasmania.com.au Following finalisation of the environmental scan and capability map (see Action 2), a campaign will be undertaken using local case studies to highlight the range of career paths and opportunities in the sector.

Trade Tasmania (a division of State Growth) has published a capability statement for the Technology Sector - trade.tasmanian.com.au/trade_snapshots/technology

https://www.makeittasmania.com.au/

https://trade.tasmanian.com.au/trade_snapshots/technology


Tasmanian ICT Workforce Action Plan 2020-2023

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