Digital Capability
23.6% of Australians remain digitally excluded in 2023.
If Australia's digital capability is core to driving productivity, why don't we have a standard way to measure that capability?
Most jobs require some form of digital skills.
But there is no consistent approach to defining the digital skills required.
Therefore, we are unable to measure the digital capability of the population.
While there are plenty of initiatives considering this problem, they do not scale and therefore lack impact. Australia does not have a strategy in place to address this significant skills gap.
This overarching failure to upskill people with the relevant digital skills directly impacts the economy.
The proposed approach to uplift Australia’s digital capability
The need to uplift our digital capability is urgent following the findings from our initial Workforce Plan and the Growing Australia’s Digital Workforce report by the Digital Skills Organisation.
Together, the FSO and the Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance (ADIA) have collaborated with tripartite stakeholders to propose an approach that will allow us to measure Australia’s digital capability and have a benchmark to reach for.
1. A simple unifying purpose that can be used to drive change across the economy (education and training, community, industry and government)
UNIFYING PURPOSE
2. The adoption of the Australian Digital Capability Framework (ADCF) as Australia’s national common language around what it means to be digitally capable
COMMON LANGUAGE
3. The development of an agreed national benchmark for digital capability for access to work, learning and life, anchored in the ADCF
NATIONAL BENCHMARK
A national priority
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There is a projected 370K digital worker shortfall for Australia by 2026
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We need 1.2 million tech workers in Australia by 2030
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47% growth of the digital expert workforce is expected by 2026
Uplifting Australia’s digital capability will lead to
Improved engagement and participation
Greater ability for organisations to grow and be productive
Better access to services, social connections and learning opportunities
Increased health of the Australian economy
In September 2023, the ADIA hosted an event: Digital Capability in Australia: Unpacking digital preparedness for access to work, learning and life.
Moderated by Infoxchange CEO and ADIA Chair, David Spriggs, the event featured an in-depth discussion with ADIA Convenor Ishtar Vij, FSO Director Engagement and Growth Ross Raeburn and TAFE QLD Senior Advisor, Learning and Teaching, Emma Rice. The panel delves into the challenges and opportunities of digital capability in Australia, and ADIA and FSO's joint approach to addressing this issue