AWS: Training needed to fill Aussie skills gaps

AWS has released findings from a new Australian research report, which reveal that the need for digital skills training has increased over the last three years.

Eighty-one per cent of surveyed workers say they need more digital skills to cope with changes in their job brought on by the pandemic. According to the report, the number of Australian workers that require digital skills for their job is projected to increase by 3.7 million — currently representing 29% of the nation’s workforce.

Despite this staggering need, the findings suggest that only 30% of Australian employers have a digital skills training plan in place, potentially affecting competitiveness in areas such as productivity, innovation and employee retention.

The ‘Building Digital Skills for the Changing Workforce’ report, prepared by AlphaBeta and commissioned by AWS, surveyed 1023 digitally skilled workers (in both technology and non-technology roles) and 326 employers in Australia, with representation from public, private, and non-profit sectors of different sizes and industries.

The report found that the ability to use cloud-based tools, such as cloud developer tools, cloud-based communication software, accounting software, and customer relationship management software, is projected to be the most in-demand skill required by employers by 2025, followed by cybersecurity skills.

It also highlights the need for more advanced cloud computing skills, and that the ability to migrate on-premises facilities to the cloud is anticipated to be among the top 10 in-demand digital skills by 2025 in Australia.

Genevieve Lim, Director for Asia Pacific, AlphaBeta says the pandemic accelerated an existing trend.

“While the need for digital skills has been growing for years, this research shows that job changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic have accelerated the need for more training for both tech and non-tech workers on digital capabilities in Australia. Organisations have accelerated their digitisation process to cope with the pandemic and ensure their long-term competitiveness.

“Transitioning into a digital-first economy will help countries’ recovery from COVID-19 and secure a stronger economic future. There is an urgent need for governments to work together with employers, training providers, and workers to meet these diverse and growing digital learning needs,” she said.

To prepare the next generation of cloud professionals for early cloud careers, and to build a diverse pipeline of entry-level talent into the workforce, AWS collaborates with higher education institutions, non-profits, workforce development organisations, governments, and employers on a range of digital upskilling programs.

In Australia, this includes programs like AWS re/Start, which is a free, full-time, 12-week program that prepares unemployed, underemployed, and transitioning individuals for careers in cloud computing. Locally, the program is offered in collaboration with FDM Group, Academy IT and Goanna Education. AWS has already trained over 200,000 individuals in Australia with cloud skills since 2017.

“Over the course of the pandemic, we have seen organisations of all sizes accelerate their digital transformation plans by several years, driving an increased need for employers and their workers to advance skills training for cloud computing, cybersecurity, and machine learning,” said Iain Rouse, Director and Country Leader for AWS Public Sector in Australia and New Zealand.

Professor Rorden Wilkinson, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Education & Student Experience at UNSW Sydney says the need for digital skills capability is uniform across sectors.

“Digital technologies are rapidly transforming every industry and occupation. Education is no exception. Building digital capability needs to be a core part of every curriculum.

“The use of cloud-based collaboration technologies has been critical to allow education to continue uninterrupted throughout the pandemic. UNSW Sydney is working closely with industry partners such as AWS to ensure our graduates are equipped with the digital skills they need to make an impact from day one — whether that is as an employee or an entrepreneur — and to assist experienced professionals to continue to refresh and upgrade their skills throughout their careers,” Professor Wilkinson said.

The Building Digital Skills for the Changing Workforce research report is available for download here. To read more about Amazon’s global training commitment — 29 million people by 2025 — visit AboutAmazon.com/29million.

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