Commonwealth Bank has set up a new tech hub in Brisbane’s CBD to help support the expansion of Queensland’s tech community and skills.
The Brisbane technology hub is the third of its kind to be created by CBA this year, following the launch of similar hubs in Adelaide and Melbourne.
The CBA, working with The University of Queensland (UQ), Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and TAFE Queensland, established the hub to give students and graduates the chance to join its Tech Associates and Graduate programs.
In addition, the tech hub will create new employment opportunities for engineers, cyber specialists and data scientists, adding 100 jobs to Brisbane’s emerging tech industry.
“We’re excited about this next phase of our plan to build tech hubs outside our head office in Sydney, to allow people to work from wherever they want but to still go into the hubs to drive connection, collaboration and innovation to engineer secure data-driven products for our customers,” CBA’s Chief Information Officer for Technology Brendan Hopper said.
“The COVID pandemic saw many of our technology professionals choose to relocate to Queensland to pursue a change of lifestyle. By having the tech hub in Brisbane, our people based there will still have access to major technology employers like CBA and can make an impact in their work without having to relocate interstate.”
Mr Hopper also said that Brisbane was perfect for the tech hub due to its strong focus on innovation, digital education. It is also expected that the upcoming Olympic Games will bring further investment in technology.
By partnering with key universities and vocational education providers, CBA is able to develop its local talent pipeline for early technology careers and to help it invest in its future workforce in the areas of computer science, engineering, data science and cyber security.
“Australia has for some years been facing a critical skills shortage in technology,” Mr Hopper said.
“Working with education helps us to address this issue, and also enables us to invest in the local tech community to help keep the country competitive.”
TAFE Queensland’s Director of Faculty Creative Arts and Digital Design Jackie French states that the partnership with CBA would offer graduates a pathway into technology careers within the country.
“Queensland already has a vibrant digital community with a well-established pipeline of graduates,” she said.
“As the state’s largest training provider, we’re delighted to partner with CBA to supply skilled and job-ready information technology, cyber security, website and software developer graduates for the placements this program will deliver.”
CBA is building out its presence in tech hubs across the nation to continue to position itself as a global digital bank and a leader in digital experiences and technology.
Source: CBA media release. Content has been edited for style and length.