AIICT addresses ICT skills shortage with 10 new courses

The Australian Institute of ICT (AIICT) has introduced a series of industry-certified bootcamp programs and nationally recognised qualifications, to meet the rising demand for skilled ICT professionals in Australia. The bootcamps will support the Digital Skills Organisation (DSO) pilot, which recognises the importance of non-accredited training to support the development of skills of the future workforce.

The bootcamp programs run for six months and comprise several vendor-specific certifications. The courses include ‘Cloud Computing Certified Professional’, ‘Certified Microsoft Full Stack Developer’, ‘Certified Artificial Intelligence Professional’, ‘Growth Marketing Professional’ and ‘Certified Project Management Professional’.

AIICT has also announced five new accredited courses, including ICT40120 – Certificate IV in Information Technology (Systems Administration Support), ICT40120 – Certificate IV in Information Technology (Website Development), ICT50220 – Diploma of Information Technology (Back End Web Development), ICT50220 – Diploma of Information Technology (Advanced Networking) and ICT50220 – Diploma of Information Technology (Cyber Security).

The 10 new courses were introduced to fill ICT skills gaps in Australia, by providing relevant training courses for career development. The decision to introduce the bootcamps follows the VET sector’s increasing shift from nationally recognised qualifications to vendor-specific, industry-certified training.

The National Centre for Vocational Education Research has revealed that preference for accredited training courses has declined in recent years, with employers less satisfied that these courses provide their employees with the most relevant and important skills for their business. This has led many organisations to prefer non-accredited training provided by private technology vendors such as Microsoft and AWS.

Jon Lang, CEO of DDLS, noted that while the industry bootcamp programs continue to gain popularity, there will always be a place for nationally recognised qualifications, which cover all of the fundamentals and provide a foundation for students to launch their careers in technology.

“Our customers are definitely showing a growing interest in non-accredited vendor certifications. One key reason for this is employers want to develop skills that are highly relevant and specific to the programs and services their organisation uses daily. Non-accredited vendor certifications can be customised to the specific needs of the business, compared with traditional accredited courses which contain broader course content,” said Lang.

AIICT’s existing course portfolio currently offers non-accredited ‘Certified Data Science Professional’ and ‘Certified Cybersecurity Professional’ bootcamps, along with the accredited courses ‘Certificate IV in Information Technology (Networking)’, ‘Diploma of Website Development’ and ‘Diploma of Information Technology’.

AIICT is a start-up launched in 2019 by DDLS; since its launch, AIICT has enrolled over 500 students, with numbers growing month on month. Through its industry partner program, AIICT connects recent graduates with leading employers to help them secure a frontline role, while tackling skills shortages in the field.

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