The Digital Skills Cadetship Trial supported three cadetship projects to test the effectiveness and benefits of innovative and diverse approaches to meet the digital skills needs of employers.
About the initiative
The cadetship projects commenced in March 2022. These projects aimed to test different training models to upskill participants in emerging and priority digital fields.
The projects blended formal training with on-the-job learning and mentoring. They were driven by employer demand for skills including cybersecurity, web development, data analytics and cloud computing. Digital skills were delivered via accredited and non-accredited vocational education and training and industry recognised courses offered by global technology companies.
The cadetship projects concluded in February 2024. These trials have generated valuable insights, including into the importance of employer buy-in to ensure the success and scalability of efforts to build Australia’s digital skills and capabilities.
dandolopartners started an independent evaluation of the trials in October 2022 and delivered a Final Evaluation Report in July 2024.
Cadetship Projects were delivered by:
Community Corporate
Training in cloud computing was provided to participating cadets using globally recognised vendor certifications selected to meet the needs of employer partners. The target cohort was refugees and humanitarian migrants with permanent residence who had overseas ICT qualifications but were unemployed or under-employed.
MEGT Australia
Participants were trained in data analytics, cyber security and cloud computing using Microsoft certifications and specialist micro credentials. The target cohort was women entering or returning to the workforce.
Goanna Education
Training was delivered to cadets in various digital career pathways such as data analytics, cloud computing, web development and Salesforce. The target cohort was career changers, parents with prior ICT skills returning to the workforce, First Nations people, women, and people with disability.
The Trial was designed to comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including by ensuring Cadets were provided with information about how their personal information would be collected and used.