Gippslanders are being encouraged to get connected and expand their digital connectivity in an attempt to drive revenue growth and operational efficiencies following the release of a report last week commissioned by NBN Co.
The Business growth opportunities report estimated more than 900 new businesses and 4000 additional digital jobs could be generated throughout the region by 2021 if people increased their digital technologies skills and capabilities.
Regional Australia Institute general manager David Spear said Gippsland had an “excellent foundation” to develop its digital capabilities and connectivity and to expand jobs growth.
“This region is going through a significant economic transition but the good news is the region has a high proportion of trades skills, about 15 per cent of its workforce, and higher technical qualifications at about 27 per cent,” Mr Spear said.
“That’s an excellent foundation to build on so if we can join these people up to increase their skills and capabilities to use digital technologies, the region will be well positioned for growth.”
The report found while Gippsland was higher than regional Victoria in technical qualifications, it fell short in high school completion rates, university qualifications and adult learning compared to the state’s average.
“In this instance, the NBN as the access network provides the core infrastructure for people to be connected which is essential in the process of developing the skills required to engage with the digital economy and put them into practice,” Mr Spear said.
“That could be in business, that could be in education or it could be in some other service environment.”
Mr Spear said two-thirds of Gippsland jobs were at risk of some form of automation, prompting him to encourage “imperative action”.
He said the recent closure of Hazelwood Power Station for instance meant it was necessary for a technologically-skilled workforce to support the region’s transition away from coal into other sectors such as the services industry.
“Those jobs that could be very process-orientated and repeatable will increasingly be automated which highlights the need for people to create new skills to engage with sectors that are growing and more sustainable,” he said.
The report found 28 per cent of jobs in Gippsland had a “high vulnerability” rate of falling victim to automation, with sales people, hospitality workers and accounting clerks and bookkeepers considered to be at most risk of automation.
Traralgon photographer John Ansell, who owns John Ansell Photography, said the national broadband network allowed him to operate more efficiently by transferring large online files. He encouraged businesses to increase their digital skillset.
“In the past we had to transfer large files for printing to our lab in Horsham and that was a difficult procedure. We had to send DVDs and it certainly slowed down the process of getting work into the lab for printing,” Mr Ansell said.
“But now through NBN we’re able to send large files directly to the lab through a drop and send option. We were able to do that originally on smaller jobs but certainly not on the larger jobs.
“For instance something like big school photographic jobs where you might have thousands of photos of individual portraits and files, we can now send them over the NBN and the lab has them within 20 to 30 minutes.”
