Equitable upskilling — closing the digital divide

The Labor government has set a goal to grow Australia’s tech industry, resulting in 1.2 million tech-related jobs by 2030. It’s an ambitious goal that would mean creating an additional 340,000 tech-related jobs in just eight years — boosting the tech industry’s current $167 billion contribution to the national GDP to a potential $250 billion.

However, many Australian citizens will need to level-up their digital competencies in order to secure sought-after roles in this booming industry. And while education has been addressed in Labor’s package, Australia’s digital equity must also be addressed to ensure everyone has access to these jobs, and the training required to fulfil them.

A divided Australia

With nine out of 10 Australians owning a smartphone, and online shopping having hit a record $62.3 billion in 2021, Australia appears to be a digitally savvy, highly connected nation. However, not every Australian has equal access to the internet and other digital services. Some demographics and socioeconomic groups, including older Australians, low income earners, some of Australia’s most remote First Nations communities, and some culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) migrants and refugees, all face ongoing barriers to digital inclusion. Further, many citizens living in rural and regional areas are persistently disadvantaged due to slow and outdated internet networks. According to the Labor government, approximately 30,000 Australian households have no access to the internet at all.

Findings from the 2021 Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) show that just over a quarter (28 per cent) of the national population are digitally excluded at varying degrees, with 11 per cent considered “highly excluded”. It’s an issue that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has accelerated the country’s shift toward digital adoption. As the fast pace of change toward digital adoption increases, those without adequate digital skills or access to digital services will be increasingly left behind.

Investing in equity

In response to America’s digital inequality, US President Joe Biden has recently launched an Internet for All initiative, which will use US$65 billion from the country’s US$1.2 trillion Infrastructure bill, dedicated to closing its digital divide. The initiative aims to make high-speed internet affordable and accessible for all citizens to improve digital equity and inclusion; ultimately improving education opportunities, powering the economy and strengthening e-health.

With one in four Australians experiencing digital disadvantage, we too should be looking to implement a similar bill. Only through significant funding could Australia truly hope to close the digital divide in this country, ensuring that every citizen had the opportunity to take advantage of the growing number of jobs in the tech sector. In addition to improving the access to, and affordability of, broadband services, we must also look at improving the citizen’s ability to undertake training and upskilling. Because every one of those 28% of Australians currently experiencing digital disadvantage, should have the opportunity to secure one of the 340,000 new tech jobs.

Upskilling Australia

At the height of the pandemic, unprecedented lockdowns meant that many Australians lost employment, were forced to close their businesses, or faced uncertain futures. The ‘COVID-19 employment pivot’ saw an urgent need for Australians to quickly re-skill in new growth sectors, upskill existing competencies, or completely retrain to improve employability. Small to medium business owners also found themselves in need of new digital skills as more customers went online. The problem was that there was a lack of accessibility to resources to provide these in-demand skills.

In response to a call for action from the Hon Karen Andrews, MP (who was Minister for Industry, Science and Technology at the time), Australia’s tech sector banded together to develop Skill Finder, a digital skills marketplace which connects job seekers with free online courses, allowing them to upskill and retrain for new roles in the tech sector. With over 3000 courses covering skills from computer basics to AI and coding, Skill Finder is proof that government initiatives can help pave the way to digital inclusion, while lifting digital literacy and fluency for Australians.

However, with 30,000 homes still without internet access, and many demographics and socioeconomic groups without the skills and access to undertake these online courses, there is still room for improvement when it comes to the equitable upskilling of Australian citizens. Developed at the federal level, there is the opportunity to further promote these types of free online courses at the state and local government level, ensuring all members of the community are made aware of, and able to access, free digital education. Whether it’s the promotion of various courses through local community groups, high schools ensuring school leavers have access to free online courses to increase employability, or providing access to free digital courses and mentoring at local libraries, there needs to be more grassroots campaigns for increasing the nation’s digital capabilities.

According to the ADII, digital inclusion increases with education, employment, and income. But the catch-22 is that citizens require basic skills in order to level-up their digital competencies. All Australian citizens should be given equal opportunities to re-skill and take advantage of the 340,000 new tech jobs. And the only way we can achieve this, is by closing the digital divide.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/huang