A seismic shift to more “digital living” has sparked an unprecedented surge in demand for workers with skills in cloud computing, mobile applications, big data analytics and cybersecurity.

Andrew Seeley is among the thousands of students who have turned to TAFE NSW to arm themselves with the skills to gain employment in a rapidly changing economy.

Andrew started his IT career through a traineeship with Blue Mountains City Council with the Certificate III in Information, Digital Media and Technology, then backed it up with the Certificate IV Programming and not stopping his study there, a Bachelor of IT majoring in software design at university.

Mr Seeley is putting all his experience and knowledge into practice in his role at EY by helping business with digital transformation and digital enablement, while managing a YouTube channel providing advice on how to build apps.

“I always wanted to work in IT but I didn’t know what I wanted to do, the traineeship with Blue Mountains City Council gave me good general knowledge on a lot of different aspects,” Mr Seeley said.

“Being able to start my IT with a traineeship was the best move. My teacher at the time encouraged me to do other activities outside of my studies including WorldSkills and Toastmasters, all of which definitely set me on my career path.”

In his day job at EY, Mr Seeley has a lot of variety and exposure to many different clients across a range of industries.

“The best thing about my job is that I’m always working on different projects. All my study and experience has come into play; my job is so varied from one day to the next. One day I could be reviewing a company’s digital strategy or the next building apps.”

Mr Seeley started his YouTube channel “Seemu Apps” out of frustration at not being able to program some basic app functionality.

“I was trying to figure out how to add advertising to my own iPhone app. I found an article that went from step A to step C but missed step B, so out of annoyance, I decided to start posting how-to videos once a month. The channel is there to help people who get stuck in the middle ground as I did,” he said.

“If you want to work in IT then try things out as early as possible and sign up for classes. There are many great resources out there and if it is something you like, then just pursue it.

The Certificate III in Information, Digital Media and Technology can be studied at TAFE NSW or as online via TAFE Digital. For more information visit www.tafensw.edu.au or call 131 601. 

Media contact: Teresa Lane, TAFE NSW Media and Communications Business Partner 9796 5476, mobile 0412 773 887