NT-based Batchelor Institute secures IT skills training pilot with Department of Education

Northern Territory-based Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education has secured a digital skills pilot program with the Department of Education's Digital Skills Organisation (DSO), aiming to address the gap in digital literacy among First Nations people.

The pilot will include 20 students from Batchelor Institute, where they will undergo three intensive face-to-face workshops covering the use of workplace tools, cyber security literacy, search and access of digital information and ways to connect and collaborate digitally.

The DSO is one of the Department of Education, Skills and Employment's industry-led Skills Organisations designed to inform broader improvements to the national training system.

“Increasing digital literacy is incredibly important for the technology sector and across our economy more broadly," DSO chief executive officer Patrick Kidd said.

"In order for our ecosystem to thrive we must include a diverse range of voices, including those of our First Nations people. The current gap in digital skills must be addressed and we hope this pilot will help build an approach to deliver real change.”

Batchelor Institute chief executive Leon Yeatman said, “Batchelor Institute is thrilled to deliver hands-on digital skills in the remote Aboriginal community of Santa Theresa as part of the Digital Skills Organisation’s (DSO) pilot program.”

“No one should be left behind in this digital age. First Nations people need to know how to use technology to be employed, access medical services and carry out everyday transactions, like banking, no matter where they live.”

Yeatman added Batchelor Institute had worked with stakeholders like the Central Land Council and community groups at Santa Theresa to identify needs and ensure the training is delivered through an appropriate model.

“We will learn from this pilot project model and plan to expand the offer to many remote Territory communities,” he said.

According to the Australian National Skills Commission, the demand for digital skills is increasing faster than other skills in the labour market, driven by the pace of innovation in the IT sector and the increasing requirement for all businesses to adopt new technologies, update systems and digitise.

The Commission also found top digital skills listed on job websites across all sectors included knowledge of office suite, enterprise resource planning and social media skills. In IT related jobs, the top skills required were software development principles, SQL databases and programming and system design.

Due to increasing digitalisation, the Good Things Foundation’s Australian Digital Inclusion Index found one in four people in Australia were being digitally excluded and at risk of being left behind. First Nations peoples living in urban and regional areas were 7.9 points below the national average Australia Digital Inclusion Index score for digital inclusion.

DSO and Batchelor Institute said the program aims to determine ways to teach digital skills to remote communities and improve student’s capabilities and opportunities in the workforce.

Kidd said, “Our vision is that all people should have access to digital skills. This will help unlock incredible career opportunities and also lessen the divide between regional Australia and our capital cities. The novice digital skills the participants are learning is based on our skill standards which align to employer needs.”

“Using the DSO’s Digital Literacy Standard in this trial will fast-track a cohort of 20 people in the Northern Territory to achieve digital skills to help them in their everyday lives and a great opportunity to get NT students workforce ready.”