A fantastic Initiative
The Digital Skills Organisation (DSO) and the National Apprentice Employment Network (NAEN) today announced the establishment of a pilot program to examine ways to better assess, incorporate and fast-track digital skills in the apprenticeship sector.
At a time when digital skills are becoming increasingly important, the pilot project will enable large numbers of apprentices and trainees, as well as their employers, to assess and improve digital literacy in the workplace.
Under the initiative, DSO will provide access to digital assessment and upskilling tools, and NAEN will facilitate the engagement of member group training organisations (GTOs) who employ apprentices and trainees.
NAEN is Australia’s largest employer network of apprentices and trainees, representing some 25,000 apprentices and trainees, engaged by about 100,000 largely small and medium sized businesses.
The digital pilot program provides the chance to reach a critical cohort who are entering the first stage of their skills journey, from plumbers to hairdressers, carpenters to chefs.
Australia’s digital skills gap is widening, compared with global peers. Only 26 per cent of Australian workers consider themselves ‘very prepared’ for workplace digital skills. Australian workers are also less advanced in using digital communication tools, with only 37 per cent citing advanced skills (compared with 46 per cent global average), and 26 per cent citing advanced skills in productivity tools (43 per cent global average), according to the Salesforce Global Digital Skills Index (GDSI) January 2022…..