The Institute of Data has announced a commitment to offer and fund 1,000 new scholarships for Australian citizens and permanent residents to help them up-skill or retrain in the fields of Data Science & AI, Cyber Security, and Software Engineering. 

Job openings in the Data Science & AI, Cyber Security, and Software sectors are stronger than ever, with some industry players such as Telstra are calling for increased immigration to address the skills gap. 

“It’s not sustainable for Australia to rely solely on importing talent when we have Australians here that want careers in technology,” Executive Director at the Institute of Data Andrew Campbell said.  

“The traditional undergraduate or masters programs simply take too long and our vocational training system hasn’t made the jump from training tradies to training data scientists.” 

Director Campbell stated that something should be done to address this. 

“As employers ourselves, we saw the need for shorter, targeted training courses that fit the needs of industry and mid-career professionals looking for a switch,” he said.  

“These people want to upskill or reskill quickly to improve their potential employability but traditional education isn’t giving them what they need.” 

The Institute of Data has created practical and job ready skills programs in order to reduce the three years to up-skill for a career in data, cyber or software.  

The organisation trains people from tech and non-tech backgrounds over three months full-time or six months part-time, with 93% of its students having jobs in the industry within 180 days. 

“Our data, cyber, and software industry programs are designed with a singular focus on helping participants make industry connections and develop the practical skills and portfolio of work necessary to land a job in the industry,” Director Campbell said. 

“Demand is so strong right now that we have reports of some students receiving two job offers before they even complete the program.” 

The Institute of Data’s trainers have all worked directly in the data, cyber and software fields. allowing them to provide one-on-one training and career mentoring.

“We offer students a truly world-class learning experience and the opportunity to launch their career in some of the most exciting and in-demand fields in the world,” Director Campbell said. 

At least 1,000 Scholarships that reduce course fees by up to 30% will be offered by the Institute of Data to eligible students over the next 12 months.

Larger volumes of students can be trained with further support from industry, university, and government partners. Graduates of Institute of Data programs can also articulate into Masters programs at leading partner universities via the recognition of prior learning process, receiving up to 48 credit points worth of exemptions. 

Eliza Sayon

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Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.

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