Partnership to boost job-ready IT skills

Instaclustr and the University of Canberra have announced a partnership designed to boost Australia’s job-ready skills in the IT sector through provision of open-source software training, certification and R&D.

The organisations will collaborate on the development and delivery of professional courses designed to advance Australia’s software engineering skills.

Commencing on 25 May, the partnership’s first online course — Developer Training and Certification for Apache Kafka — will help budding software engineers, developers and administrators gain the fundamental skills required to develop and operate Apache Kafka.

Course content includes hands-on workshops, webinars, online forums, self-paced assignments and assessments. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to take an optional exam to become an Instaclustr-certified developer for Apache Kafka.

Instaclustr CEO Peter Lilley said technology jobs will be in high demand in Australia over the next few years, with some reports suggesting that 156,000 more digital technology workers will be needed by 2025.

“There is a significant skills gap that needs to be filled when it comes to technology and digital literacy skills in Australia. Many businesses are only just starting to recognise the benefits of open-source technologies, despite over 80% of Fortune 100 companies using Apache Kafka in their organisation,” he said.

“We are therefore delighted to be partnering with the University of Canberra to address this issue with the launch of our first online course that will pave the way for further open-source software training, certification, research and development.

“At Instaclustr, we recognise just how important developing these skills will be not only to Australia’s future success and position as a global IT leader, but also to providing young Aussies with the job-ready skills that are so highly sought after.

“We’re also thrilled to be able to offer a free entry pathway to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student, to help increase diversity and representation in the tech industry more broadly,” he said.

Vice-Chancellor and President at the University of Canberra Professor Paddy Nixon said partnerships with industry give students a competitive edge when entering the workforce.

“We are committed to working with industry partners in an effort to improve the employability outcomes for our students,” he said.

“Partnering with an industry leader like Instaclustr provides students with access to expertise, practical workforce skills and academic oversight that will give our graduates a competitive edge when they enter the workforce,” he said.

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