According to digital powerhouse and member of the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce, DB Results, Australia is entering “a new era of digital urgency” after research conducted by Amazon revealed that by 2025, Australia will need more than six million digital workers just to keep up with the pace of burgeoning digital evolution. 

In recognition of this, the Victorian Government has established the Digital Jobs Program – a $64 million initiative to give mid-career Victorians access to a wealth of knowledge and experience, bringing essential skills and new perspectives into the workplace. 

Over the next four years, the program will support up to 5,000 mid-career Victorians (30 years of age or older) to retrain and reimagine their career. 

Mid-career Victorians won't be the only beneficiaries of the Digital Jobs Program. Businesses are also invited to take part in the program by hosting participants who have acquired specialised and up-to-date skills. For every candidate hosted, the Victorian Government will subsidise the business to the tune of $5,000. 

The value of interns 

WTFN - the Australian television production company responsible for creating beloved programs including Bondi Vet and Paramedics, took part in the Victorian Chamber’s Internship Program in 2019. Through the program, WTFN-BE General Manager, Derek Dyson, has first-hand experience of working with interns and quickly discovered the value they can provide for a business. 

“WTFN has multiple interns from various institutions around Australia - including via the VCCI Internship Program. Interns are a core part of our business, and we feel a societal obligation to provide them with opportunities. It also gives you early access to future leaders - many of which we have picked up along the way,” said Mr Dyson. 

The Victorian Government’s Digital Jobs Program focuses on workers of 30 years of age or older and Mr Dyson can attest to the value of a mature-age intern. 

“We are certainly very encouraging of interns at all levels. We had an intern come in over 50 years old who was formally a c-suite operator at an ASX Listed company. But TV was his dream and now he has a role with us. He has brought a cross-section of (non-TV) skills into the business and he’s been a brilliant addition to our team.” 

Traditionally, internships were intended for new people to the workforce with no experience to learn new skills. But recently, Mr Dyson has found that WTFN is learning as much as their interns are. 

“An intern recently set up a TikTok channel for our show Bondi Vet. We've had very established channels across social media including YouTube and Facebook, but TikTok was new ground for us as a business. Suddenly, with more than 100,000 likes, TikTok is now part of our Bondi Vet content network. As much as we are teaching them, our interns are bringing us different filming, editing and social media ideas every week.” 

Digital Jobs Program 

As more businesses embrace the digital evolution, Victorian workers without digital skills are at risk of being left behind. The Victorian Government’s $64 million Digital Jobs Program not only aims to support businesses gain tech-savvy interns, but help mid-career Victorians learn new skills to take into the future. 

The Digital jobs Program presents an opportunity for Victorians  30 years of age or older to learn up-to-date digital skills from leading Australian universities and place them in paid, short term digital roles with industry-leading businesses. 

Each participant in the program will receive: 

• 12 weeks of free tuition in a high-quality, industry-recognised digital course 
• 12 weeks in a paid digital role with a Victorian business 
• Ongoing support from a mentor throughout the program journey 

Participants in the program can choose any of the following courses: 

• Data analytics 
• Programming and software development 
• Cyber security 
• Cloud computing 
• AI and machine learning 
• Project management 
• Digital marketing, operations and support 
• Web development 
• Product management 
• UX and UI 

More information 

If your businesses would be interested in offering a position for an intern through the Digital Jobs Program, register your interest here. 

If you are considering a career change and would like more information about the Digital Jobs Program, visit the website here. 

Victorian Chamber Grant Finder 

We are proud and excited to announce the launch of the Victorian Chamber Grant Finder - your new one-stop-shop and single source of truth to discover every government support measure available to your businesses, including the Digital Jobs Program. 

To access the Victorian Chamber Grant Finder, members can head to the website now and begin their journey to discover Government support.  

Not a member? Join before 31 August to get your full membership fee back in bonus credits plus access to the Victorian Chamber Grant Finder.