14 July 2020

A Griffith man who has been studying with TAFE NSW continuously since high school has urged local youth to consider a traineeship in the booming IT industry to help address a looming skills shortage.

Jackson Coles, 21, completed a Certificate III in Information Technology during his HSC at Marian Catholic College and is now onto his third TAFE NSW qualification, a Certificate IV in Cyber Security.

It comes as the Australian Cyber Security Growth Network projected the nation would need up to 17,600 additional cyber security experts by 2026 to meet demand – a number expected to increase post-COVID.

Mr Coles, who is employed at Griffith’s 3C Technology Shop, said the diversity of roles in the IT sector meant with the right qualifications, IT specialists could have a multitude of different careers in the one field.

“It’s a great industry for a young person to get into because we live in such a technology-dependent society and we’re immersing ourselves in it every day,” Mr Coles said.

“It’s just a case of taking the next step and making it your profession, and a traineeship is an ideal way to do it.

“I learned about so many different aspects of the industry in my traineeship and everything I did at TAFE NSW was relevant to the workplace.”

Mr Coles’ current role sees him working with customers to solve their IT issues – a part of the job he loves - but he plans to branch out into other aspects of the field in future.

TAFE NSW Griffith Information Technology Teacher Imran Syed said Mr Coles was a great example of where a traineeship could take you.

“The job prospects for a TAFE NSW graduate are outstanding as there is a very acute shortage of IT professionals in a place like Griffith,” Mr Syed said. “Almost all of my graduates are employed in the local IT workforce locally.”

Mr Syed said the Certificate III in Information, Digital Media and Technology was a solid foundation course for entry-level roles as a support technician while the Certificate IV in IT Networking provided the skills and knowledge to work as a network support technician, systems administrator or help-desk specialist.

Traineeships combine on-the-job training with formal study to give participants the skills and experience employers are looking for.

The NSW Government is paying the course cost for 70,000 new traineeships – meaning trainees undertaking a government funded traineeship course no longer face a student fee of up to $1000.

To find out more about studying information technology at TAFE NSW Griffith or fee-free traineeships, phone 13 16 01 or visit www.tafensw.edu.au.

Media contact: Daniel Johns, TAFE NSW Media and Communications – Business Partner, 6938 1441, mobile 0477 722 428.