A career change into digital and technology-based roles is on the agenda for young Australians, according to new research.
Swinburne Online Digital Skills Study (the Study), which involved a survey of 1,000 Australian workers, found that 61% of millennials and Generation X would consider a move into the digital and technology industry.
Since the onset of COVID-19, more than half of the Australian workers surveyed have either completed or considered a career change according to the findings of the Study. Of those considering a switch, some 85% either have or would consider undertaking a short course to assist in their career change.
To address this demand, Swinburne University of Technology has launched a series of Australian-first Bootcamp Graduate Certificates that will be available on-campus and through its online arm, Swinburne Online.
The courses were designed in consultation with leading industry experts, including Tableau, Dropbox, GitHub and Mulesoft, and will focus on developing the digital and STEM skills of learners seeking to change their careers.
With Swinburne Online’s research additionally showing that short courses providing a tangible qualification were more attractive to prospective students, the new bootcamp offering differs from other online courses, and will provide graduating students an official university-branded qualification.
The Bootcamp Graduate Certificates, offered in partnership with FourthRev, are currently available in Professional Analytics and Programming and Development, and Product Management from July 2021, with the curriculum including real-life projects developed by industry partners.
The accelerated, industry-focused courses will be 16 weeks in length, completed over two eight-week blocks, with applications for the next intake closing in July 2021.
Reece Watson is a 25-year old based in Queensland studying his grad cert in Programming and Development.
Watson initially studied a Bachelors degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology, and after practicing in the field for two-and-a-half years decided he wanted to explore other career options
Having already studied a four-year undergraduate degree, Watson didn’t want to study a long post-grad degree, so he found the bootcamp’s six-month format ideal.
"I enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Programming and Development offered by Swinburne Online in April, and so far my experience of the short course has been very positive,” Watson told The Educator.
“It is totally online, which has allowed me to study while still working and completing life duties. It is exciting to know that in only 6 months' time, I will have the necessary skills to enter a new field”.
Watson said he opted for the short course as opposed to a longer course because he was looking for a career change.
“I was reluctant to return to university for another 3–4-year degree in order to change career, which is something I'm sure many other young people may feel,” he said.
“Having the option to complete a 6-month short course and enter a new field feeling prepared with the necessary skills is extremely valuable”.