DDLS appoints new General Manager to lead AIICT

DDLS, a leading Australian provider of corporate IT and cybersecurity training, has appointed Sally McDonough as the General Manager of its start-up company, the Australian Institute of ICT (AIICT). Operated by DDLS since 2019, AIICT aims to address the growing need for accredited IT skills in the Australian workforce. McDonough will report to DDLS CEO Jon Lang, who said McDonough will play a key role in achieving the company’s strategic plans, which are to grow and enhance the reputation of AAIICT by expanding and developing comprehensive online offerings. Lang added that McDonough’s extensive experience in the training sector, combined with her sales and leadership experience, makes her a natural fit for the role.

“Our initial focus was to build out the AIICT team and product offerings with the support of existing DDLS functional leaders. We always planned to bring on a dedicated senior manager to lead the team and accelerate growth as the business scaled up. In line with our strong culture of diversity at DDLS, we are proud to have boosted female representation in our Leadership team with Sally’s appointment,” Lang said.

McDonough commenced her new role in the first week of August. Prior to that, she was the DDLS Queensland State Sales and Operations Manager, responsible for helping business customers build tailored training solutions to fill technology skills gaps and improve their productivity and retention rates. Before joining DDLS, McDonough worked at online training provider Upskilled for almost 10 years as the Business Development Manager, delivering training solutions for businesses and individuals across a range of industries and specialities.

“I’m excited to join AIICT at a time of strong growth for the business. Upskilling has never been more important, especially in the area of technology, and AIICT is providing Australians with affordable, flexible access to the most in-demand and emerging skillsets as the IT industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace,” McDonough said.

McDonough’s appointment follows a number of key milestone achievements for AIICT in the last 12 months, including revenue growth of 571% in the 2020/21 financial year. During that time, AIICT also launched a Certified Project Management Professional course to help aspiring project managers kickstart their careers, as well as eight other boot camp courses in emerging technology areas such as Cybersecurity, Data Science, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence and Web Development.

AIICT also formed partnerships with influential Australian IT providers, to launch its updated Industry Partner Program. For AIICT students, the program offers a dedicated platform designed to help graduates find strong employment opportunities. Fur businesses, the platform assists hiring managers in locating motivated and qualified candidates who are seeking opportunities in the industry. The program aims to tackle Australia’s skills shortages in areas like cybersecurity and cloud computing, by making it easier for organisations to find the right skills they need.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Vlad Chorniy