A thought leadership report by TAFE Enterprise, the commercial arm of TAFE NSW, says it is often suggested that the introduction of automation technology will lead to widespread job disruption. However, the Evolution of Skills report states that it does not necessarily follow, that those roles will be made redundant.

"Automation," says the report, "has the potential to free people from manual and repetitive tasks and create substantial numbers of new roles which are best performed by workers with existing experience within the industry sector, albeit augmented by new skillsets."

The current era is commonly referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and is characterised by the convergence of digital, biological, and physical innovations, including developments in fields all falling under the auspices of digitalisation, including 'big data' analytics, artificial intelligence, health informatics and robotics.

Data and network security 

The security of personal information is of paramount importance to government agencies and is one of the conditions on which people have been willing to trust them with sensitive data

“According to AustCyber, the Australian Cyber Security Growth Network, Australia’s information security sector is already facing a shortage of approximately 2,300 workers and is expected to need another 17,600 by 2026,” says the report.

“Cyber security skills include capabilities in threat detection and analysis, incident response, and remediation, along with project management and software development.”

Cyber security proof point
TAFE NSW Bachelor of Information Technology (Network Security) graduate Lachlan Gibb (pictured below) says that it was through all the industry-relevant information and connections he gained from teachers that he was able to secure a full time position at a leading Australian information security company.

“I'm working as a cyber security analyst, which is the defensive side of cyber security where we monitor the events going on in a number of different environments, looking for any outliers that could indicate malicious activity,” says Lachlan.

“The practical applications we learned through TAFE NSW, particularly focused around networking, make it a lot easier for me to spot anomalies because I know how a lot of the protocols work.”

He says the flexibility of TAFE NSW allowed him to take the dream position and then study part time to complete his degree.

The soft way to adaptability

A key element for organisations, is to develop soft skills in frontline teams to improve customer service capabilities, while building skills in problem solving and systems thinking across the organisation.

Teamwork culture and functionality are classic soft skills. You need to ask yourself; How do you work in a team? Can you work better?

"In this digital, hyperconnected world, information overload and its associated stresses, are the new norm. Soft skills such as creativity, adaptability, time management and collaboration allow employees to process new information better and to make better decisions."

Soft skills
Be a good decision maker: Soft skills such as creativity, adaptability, time management and collaboration allow employees to better process new information and make better decisions.

Be adaptable: Initiative, persuasion, and negotiation also make career progression easier. People need the agility to be able to learn as they go, be able to change their tactics, and be in the moment as the technology and role changes.

Be more engaged: Collaboration, ethics and complex problem solving skills will mean that you will be a more valuable member of the diverse and dynamic teams that make up the modern business landscape.

How to learn soft skills
Soft skills are sometimes hard to measure and teach. It has traditionally been thought that you either have soft skills or you don't. But that isn't the case. It just requires an innovative approach to training, and in the business setting, TAFE NSW can empower you to learn these soft skills through a range of specalised courses related to business and management, tailored short courses, and interwoven into all courses.

Your future by degrees

“When discussing future skills challenges it bears remembering that the challenges that exist today will not disappear. However, business trends dictate that the need for new skills will increase and new shortages will emerge as demand grows.

“These new skills will not be created easily. The deeper specialisation required for emerging roles will translate to lengthy training processes, and many emerging roles will require skills from multiple fields.

TAFE NSW degrees are tailored by industry for tomorrow’s jobs. Taught in dynamic, progressive learning environments, with access to industry-standard facilities and equipment, TAFE NSW degrees all factor in the continuing evolution of skills. They are made for the future. Your future.

• Business
• Community Services
• Early Childhood Education and Care
• 3D Art and Animation
• Interior Design
• Information Technology
• Fashion
• Property Valuation
• Applied Commerce
• Creative Practice

Read the full report