Building First Nations' digital capability

Australia is home to more than 2.1 million businesses, of which between 12,000 and 16,000 (0.5% to 0.7%) are Indigenous Australian-owned. A further 73,250 Indigenous Australians are set to join the workforce by 2026 and 2200 of those are expected to start their own businesses. Australia is facing a shortage of Indigenous companies able to fulfil even a small section of work in the IT market.

The most recent census (2021) revealed there were only 1402 Indigenous ICT workers in Australia. In recent years, there’s been a major push to grow the country’s First Nations business sector, with promising results. Two Indigenous-owned and -operated technology businesses are on a mission to provide economic opportunities for First Nations people by creating a future pipeline of Indigenous Australian tech talent. In collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Winyama Digital Solutions and Goanna Education are helping improve the digital capabilities of the First Nations workforce so people can better care for Country and pursue new career paths in technology.

Growing through collaboration with AWS

Winyama Digital Solutions, a West Australian First Nations-owned and -operated IT consultancy, is upskilling and reskilling Indigenous Australians so they can help shape the future of the local tech industry. Proud Ngarluma Traditional Owner Andrew Morumburri Dowding is Winyama’s founder. His vision is to have full and equal participation of Indigenous Australian people in the digital economy.

“Our ultimate goal is to enhance Indigenous presence in the technology sector as well as empowering Indigenous communities by equipping them with industry-relevant digital skills, enabling us to secure the knowledge of our ancestors and responsibly manage their legacy in a sustainable, Indigenous manner that prepares us all for the future,” Morumburri Dowding said.

Morumburri Dowding worked closely with Indigenous Ranger Groups and has seen first-hand the need to build professional and technological skills within First Nations communities, and to ensure they have access to digital tools to better care for Country.

Winyama is a member of the AWS Partner Network (APN) and leverages AWS to build environments to store, process and manage geospatial location data intelligence and digital solutions to collect, host, visualise, share and publish maps. This enables First Nations communities, businesses and governments to make data-driven decisions with the right contextual information, concerning sacred sites, natural land and other things of cultural significance. Winyama also leverages the AWS Think Big for Small Business Program which offers small and/or minority-owned public sector organisations access to business, technical and marketing support.

Supporting First Nations’ participation in tech

Winyama aims to be the leading provider of location data and digital solutions across Australia’s commercial and public sectors. To achieve that goal, it is engaging First Nations people and their communities in the digital economy through the Indigenous Mapping Workshop Australia, which offers a variety of Indigenous Australian ranger training programs for improving land management.

The classroom-based training initiative is designed for Indigenous Australians, Indigenous Ranger Groups, language centres and native title corporations. It equips Indigenous-led organisations with the skills that enable First Nations peoples to be proficient in the use of geospatial software tools, Earth Observation (EO) technology and other data management tools used for capturing data in the field. Participants come away with the skills to map significant cultural sites, carry out bushfire mitigation, protect threatened species and have an awareness of biosecurity compliance.

Meanwhile, Winyama’s internship program is an incubator for young Indigenous Australian and Torres Strait Islander tech talent, especially those who want to learn geospatial skills. With the support of a dedicated mentor, it offers Geographic Information Systems (GIS) training for upcoming analysts and access to AWS Certifications for IT consultant graduates. Three accomplished Winyama interns have gone on to become graduate IT consultants and graduate GIS analysts.

Since launching in 2019, Winyama has trained over 1500 First Nations people in vital skills such as data collection as well as technology software. This year alone, the Indigenous Mapping Workshop Australia initiative has supported 77 organisations including title organisations, cultural centres, language centres, heritage groups and natural resource management companies.

Jaden Dzubiel, Graduate IT Consultant at Winyama and Indigenous Mapping Workshop trainer said, “One of the things we do in the workshop is to overlay a historical map over satellite imagery, using attendees’ knowledge of country to rediscover and rescue old cultural names. It’s rewarding to make such a significant impact on the efforts to preserve culture.”

He’s also currently mentoring various students from Year 7 to 12 to help achieve their highest academic capabilities with the aim of increasing the number of Indigenous Australians in the STEM field.

Learning and earning on Country through AWS re/Start

Goanna Education is Australia’s only Indigenous-owned and -led Registered Training Organisation specialising in information technology skills. Established in 2018 by Corey Brown, a Gamilaraay and Dunghutti man from Northern NSW, it helps Australians from all walks of life participate in, and benefit from, the digital economy including First Nations people, communities and businesses.

Goanna Education is working to close the digital skills gap by getting more young Indigenous Australian people into work and supporting people who are returning to the workplace after a career break. It’s also providing Indigenous Australian people with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education as well as training, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Goanna Education collaborated with AWS to launch the first AWS re/Start in Australia in 2020. The entry-level, free workforce development program equips unemployed and underemployed individuals with the skills to pursue technology careers. Over 12 weeks, participants are taught practical cloud skills via both in-person and video-conference-style e-learning, in collaboration with AWS instructors. To date, Goanna Education has supported 15 cohorts graduate from the program and connect them with interview or employment opportunities. Through AWS re/Start, Goanna Education is helping address the national shortage of tech talent aligned with the Australian Government’s objective of creating 1.2 million jobs in technology by 2030 by employing 600,000 people.

“We are proud to enable all Australians, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities, to learn and earn on Country. The technology sector provides a significant opportunity for Indigenous Australian people as it predominantly offers remote work, therefore enabling the capacity to learn and earn on Country through programs such as AWS re/Start,” said Melanie Redding, Chief Operating Officer at Goanna Education.

Goanna Education’s collaboration with AWS has been a catalyst to helping the business further its reach to remote communities to equip First Nations peoples with digital skills. For example, via other nationally recognised training programs that offer up to six-month virtual training courses to people who have taken a career break or minority groups that want to enter the workforce.

As part of the AWS re/Start program, Goanna Education is also collaborating with the Department of Education and Sydney-based Indigenous Australian learning hub Kimberwalli to deliver foundational cloud skills. Many of the First Nations learners who Goanna trains have faced a number of barriers to digital inclusion, including access to equipment and financial support.

A thriving future in tech for First Nations communities

Digital skills yield economic benefits for communities and economies around the world. Research by Gallup and AWS shows advanced digital skills like cloud architecture, artificial intelligence and software development raise Australia’s annual GDP by $41 billion by boosting the income and productivity of workers.

“It’s an honour for us to work alongside Winyama and Goanna Education to help address the digital divides and strengthen technological capabilities within First Nations communities across Australia,” said Iain Rouse, Worldwide Public Sector Director for Australia and New Zealand at AWS.

“At AWS, we understand the significance of reconciliation with First Nations individuals and we value the meaningful actions aimed at bettering the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We are enthusiastic about collaborating with them to preserve the heritage of First Nations, and support their digital transformation journeys,” he said.

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