Digital course offers real industry experience

Swinburne University of Technology has launched a series of Australian-first Bootcamp Graduate Certificate courses, developed in partnership with FourthRev, to upskill career changers and provide students the digital capabilities required to thrive in the digital economy. The courses are available on-campus and through its online arm, Swinburne Online.

Alongside completing projects which will emulate real-life work scenarios and are designed with industry partners, including GitHub and Tableau, students will also work on a ‘live’ project with employer partner Xero. This project will give students the chance to demonstrate their capabilities in an authentic industry environment, furthering their employment credentials.

The FourthRev course launch comes following the recent Swinburne University of Technology ‘Work Integrated Learning’ announcement, which committed to providing students enrolling in 2021 the opportunity to gain genuine industry experiences within their studies.

The launch coincides with a heightened focus from the Australian Government on the role of skilled job-seekers following the financial blow of the COVID-19 pandemic, having recently announced an apprenticeship wage subsidy program as part of its multi-billion-dollar investment in skills and training in its Economic Recovery Plan.

In less than two years, FourthRev co-founders Omar de Silva and Jack Hylands have formed partnerships with many of the world’s biggest tech companies, including AWS and Tableau, to create learning experiences that provide a direct pathway to qualifications and employment in the digital economy.

A total of five courses will be available in market — three of which will be online and two delivered on campus — covering professional data analytics, programming and development and product management. Each course will focus on developing the in-demand digital capabilities of learners seeking to break into digital roles or accelerate the trajectory they are already on. Curriculums feature software support, materials and insights from leading industry contributors such as Tableau, MuleSoft and Dropbox.

The Graduate Certificates differ significantly from others available in the market due to their acute focus on industry-relevant capability development and active project-based learning.

Omar de Silva, co-founder of FourthRev and a Swinburne graduate, said the best way to address the growing digital skills gap is through close collaboration between industry and higher education partners.

“The scale of the digital skills gap cannot and should not be underestimated, but equally there is a huge opportunity. If education providers and industry can come together to create learning experiences that will translate to real-world success, Australia has the potential to be one of the most digitally robust and advanced markets in APAC, if not the world.

“We’re delighted to be working with Swinburne to support them in their mission to empower students to enjoy the most exciting and meaningful career opportunities available to them upon receiving their qualifications.”

FourthRev courses are currently available via 11 higher educational providers worldwide, including RMIT, University of Canberra and University of California, Irvine. The start-up is in conversation with a further 20 organisations, with plans to double the number of higher education partners in the next 12–18 months.

Professor Chris Pilgrim, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) – Interim, Swinburne University of Technology, said the university had combined its academic and research expertise with the latest industry intelligence to provide career changers with future-focused courses.

“In a rapidly transforming world of work, Swinburne is committed to helping leaders to be effective by partnering with companies that have valuable insights into what the future workforce needs,” Professor Pilgrim said.

“The launch of the bootcamp offering gives professionals an opportunity to enhance their career prospects in a fast and flexible way.”

The next student cohort for this accelerated industry-focused course commences in July 2021.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/nd3000