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State governments are offering students free cyber security courses, among others, as a way of bolstering the states’ skills shortage.
Under the National Skills Agreement, the federal government is providing Australian states and territories with $1.1 billion in funding to open up 180,000 free positions for 110 TAFE courses nationwide, kicking off in 2023.
TAFE South Australia is leading the charge on the move, being the first to launch the initiative. TAFE SA has announced that under the agreement, 10,500 spaces in courses will be available.
“I am thrilled that South Australia is leading the country in launching this federal and state government initiative for 2023,” said TAFE SA chief executive David Coltman.
South Australian Education Minister Blair Boyer affirms that “[The courses] will open doors for South Australians who otherwise would be unable to afford training.
“[The new courses will] directly align with areas where we need thousands more workers…”
Some of the IT and cyber courses on offer include:
Boosting the cyber security industry in Australia is a focus of the government in light of the recent attacks on Australian institutions such as Optus, Medibank and non-profit charity for underprivileged children, The Smith Family.
Making matters worse is reports that cyber security workers are leaving in considerable numbers due to the increased stress and added workloads leading to burnout. According to cloud security company Lacework, 87 per cent of those surveyed said the workload and stress of cyber was causing them to burn out, while 57 percent are looking for new employers or new lines of work.
The NSW government, who will also benefit from the federal funding, has already announced that it would be introducing a cyber security course to secondary schools as part of the 2021 NSW Cyber Security strategy. It has also launched the brand-new Institute of Applied Technology which will offer 19 new courses.