ICT industry skills forecast and proposed schedule of work – Information and Communications Technology

The 2018 Industry Skills Forecast and Proposed Schedule of Work details the training product priorities for the Industry Reference Committee through to June 2022. These priorities are developed in response to the identified skills and knowledge needs in the workforce, which are translated into the learning requirements set out in training products. The Vocational Education and Training (VET) industry is a critical pillar of the Australian education and training system, providing learners with job ready skills for the labour force and training pathways to progress their careers and employability. The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Training Packages are critical elements in this system, equipping approximately 100,000 learners enrolled in one of the 44 ICT VET qualifications with future-ready ICT skills and knowledge, ready to begin or further a successful ICT career., In response to industry drivers and the pressing need for the ICT VET sector to better its employment outcomes, the ICT Industry Reference Committee (IRC) has proposed a review of the ICT Training Package. This Industry Skills Forecast and Proposed Schedule of Work (ISFPSW) therefore provides the basis for this review to provide new career options and pathways into employment across a range of business and industries as a result of gaining an ICT VET qualification. This is delineated in the following segments: (1) Sector Overview – This section summarizes the parameters of the ICT workforce, including geographical employment overviews, the activities undertaken, and the challenges and opportunities faced by learners and workers; (2) Employment and Skills Outlook – The section outlines current and future employment projections in the VET sector and factors that may influence the supply of graduates to fill these positions are discussed to understand future supply and demand within the sector. The skills needs and job roles of these learners and workers are considered through a lens of the trends affecting the VET industry as a whole. This assessment is central to informing an understanding of future job roles and necessary skills needs within the sector more broadly, as well as the specific elements that may need inclusion in the ICT Training Package; (3) Key Drivers for Change and Proposed Responses – This section serves as the ICT Case for Change Project 3 scheduled for 2018-19. It outlines the factors driving change in the ICT workforce, including the growing industry demand for emerging skills and workers, elevated importance of enterprise and soft skills within IT and the heightened demand to have new and better ways of incorporating student learning with industry experience through vendor certifications and higher apprenticeship pathways. These factors are changing the jobs within IT, therefore the ICT Training Package requires an update to reflect the skill and capability requirements of future roles; (4) Proposed Schedule of Work – Drawing on the above analysis and implication of trends and skills needs, the Proposed Schedule of Work articulates the training product development priorities within the ICT Training Package. The purpose of the schedule is to ensure that learners are appropriately skilled to enter a sector affected by the above trends.