Boosting the digital capabilities of the Australian public sector is the aim of an agreement signed in Canberra last week between the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA).
The Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations looks to boost the digital capabilities of the Australian Public Service (APS), diversify the nation’s tech workforce, and grow the tech skills of government workers.
The two-year partnership represents a strategic approach to addressing the rapidly evolving digital challenges facing government agencies.
The initiative also looks to grow opportunities for IT professionals currently working in or planning to join the public sector.
A key part of the initiative will be mapping public sector needs against tech skills, said Josh Griggs, ACS chief executive officer.
“The MoU will see ACS and the DTA working together to apply the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) as an industry-wide approach to digital skills classification and evaluations.
"This MoU represents a significant step forward in our mission to build a highly skilled digital workforce in Australia.
"By partnering with the DTA, we can ensure the public sector has access to the best training and resources available, enabling agencies to deliver high-quality digital services to the Australian public."
Chris Fechner, CEO of the DTA, added, "This memorandum is built on principles of collaboration, communication, and mutual benefit.
“This arrangement seeks to strengthen cooperative and constructive exchanges of experiences and expertise to deliver better outcomes for Australians through digital government services.”
The agreement between the organisations has several key objectives, including:
- Maximising the efficient and effective usage of existing capability and investment in delivering the Australian government’s digital services
- Being a catalyst for innovative creation and adoption of technology that benefits business, government, and society
- Promoting the use of the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) as an industry-wide approach to digital skills classification and evaluation
- Building world-leading capability and skills within the Australian digital workforce
- Exploring diversity and inclusion initiatives for tech talent.
ACS’ latest Memorandum of Understanding follows a similar agreement last month with the global digital trust association, ISACA, which saw the two professional groups agreeing to work together on developing a more skilled and adaptable IT workforce.
Under that agreement, ISACA’s global network of more than 180,000 members joins with ACS’s local presence of over 47,000 technology professionals to collaborate on training and credentialing, advocacy to governments and agencies, expanded conferences and events, and joint research efforts.
Josh Griggs sees the ISACA agreement as enhancing the agreement's potential to develop the public sector’s digital capabilities, saying, “ACS will be applying what we’ve learned from our overseas counterparts and our relationships with international technology organisations in ensuring this agreement becomes a catalyst for innovative creation and adoption of technology across the public sector in ways that benefit business, government, and Australian society.”
If you’d like to learn more about SFIA and how it can help you or your team's tech skills development, visit the ACS website.
