We need new skills for a new era: Closing our public sector’s digital dexterity gap

“We need to equip Australians with the skills they need,” said Treasurer Josh Frydenberg as he delivered May’s federal budget. “Digital infrastructure and digital skills will be critical for the competitiveness of our economy.” 

The new budget, which outlines plans to invest more than $100 million in digital skills for Australians, also sets aside funds to help employment service providers deliver digital skills training to jobseekers. These measures highlight the importance of digital skills in our rapidly changing world. To participate in this world of next-generation work and to deliver next-generation services, Australian employees will need next-generation skills. 

Government funding for digital skills is more than welcome. But there is still much work to do, particularly in our public sector. As of March this year, 72 per cent of agencies in the Australian Public Service were suffering from critical skills shortages, with data, digital and IT being the top three areas of concern.  

So, how can we do more to invest government employees with digital skills for our digital future? 

Citizen data scientists and citizen developers 

There are many reasons for the growing demand for digital skills. But foremost among them is the rapidly expanding volume of data, in the world and in our workplaces. In fact, the International Data Corporation predicts that over the next three years, people across the world are going to create more data than we’ve created over the past 30 years. 

This is fantastic news for government agencies. For them, the data explosion is an unprecedented opportunity to pre-empt citizen needs and make better informed planning decisions. But while many public sector organisations now have the infrastructure to gather and store large volumes of data, employees often lack the skills to analyse and interpret it.  

Just as strong as the demand for citizen data scientists is the demand for citizen developers. And just as government agencies’ digital infrastructure is enabling them to gather and store more data, it’s also providing them with easier avenues to build software.   

Ballarat City Council in Victoria, for instance, was already using Azure, Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 to do much of its day-to-day work. And last year, council employees began to use the Power Apps platform within Dynamics 365 to do more. 

The council’s employees started small, creating an app to digitalise and streamline the gift registry process. As well as tracking compliance, the new app eliminated time-intensive paperwork and generally saved employees’ time.  

After seeing how simple it was to create their own no-code and low-code apps, Ballarat City employees were hooked. Now, the original team of 12 Power Apps users has now ballooned to 38. Between them, they’ve created 335 apps, streamlining every task from collecting data on school crossings to managing staff rosters at the local aquatic centre.   

“Demand just exploded,” says Rhett Nunn, manager for ICT Solution Design and Development at Ballarat City Council. “Everyone wanted to remove paper and improve their services and processes with automation, apps and reports. And that’s when we knew we were onto something.” 

Our vision, our mission 

There’s no limit to what government employees can achieve when they have the right tools – and the knowledge to use them. So, how can more Australians get the skills they need? 

At Microsoft, we have a few ideas. In July last year, in response to the widespread job losses we were seeing in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, we committed to helping 25 million people across the globe acquire new digital skills. This commitment included up to 500,000 Australians.  

Since then, we have provided free courses and low-cost certifications that align to the 10 most in-demand jobs in our global economy. Our digital skills programs focus on everything from ‘hard’ skills like data analysis and software development, to ‘soft’ skills like succeeding in virtual job interviews.  

By March 2021, we had surpassed our original goal, helping almost 700,000 Australians reskill for the post-pandemic future. But we’re not done, not by a long shot. In fact, we believe it’s time to rethink not just the skills people need, but also how they acquire them.  

As well as school, TAFE and university, we think the workplace can and should become a site of lifelong learning. Ballarat City Council is a good illustration of the value-adding innovations government agencies can benefit from when they invest in their employees’ digital skills.  

We also think there is enormous scope for the expansion of non-traditional learning pathways, such as micro-credentials and online or hybrid courses. In rolling out our own skills initiatives, for instance, we’re using a number of platforms to meet learners where they are, including GitHub, LinkedIn and Microsoft Learn. We’ve also partnered with The Adecco Group’s Australian recruitment experts to create an online learning hub tailored to local needs.  

Digital plus skills = a future-proof public sector 

Our government agencies have made enormous strides in their digital transformations, particularly in the past year. Their digital foundations have been growing stronger every day.  

Now, as we move towards a post-pandemic future, it’s time to build on these foundations by ensuring government employees have what it takes to make the most of these transformations. And that means investing in digital plus skills.