Digital Jobs for Manufacturing

Applications for the Digital Jobs for Manufacturing program are now open.

Are you looking to build digital capability in your organisation?

The Digital Jobs for Manufacturing program offers fully subsided training to upskill existing staff in Victorian manufacturing businesses.

Grants of up to $5,000 per employee are available to eligible manufacturing businesses to enrol nominated employees in a free 12-week training course to learn new digital skills.

Apply now

Businesses can select from a list of 12-week online, part-time industry endorsed courses delivered by Victoria’s top universities, TAFEs and private training providers in the following areas:

  • Additive Manufacturing
  • Artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning
  • Computer aided design/manufacturing (CAD/CAM)
  • Cloud computing
  • Customer relationship management (CRM)
  • Cybersecurity
  • Data analytics
  • Digital marketing
  • IT operations and support
  • Leadership
  • Product management
  • Programming/software development
  • Project management (agile)
  • User experience / interface design (UX/UI)
  • Web development

What do businesses say about Digital Jobs for Manufacturing

Victorian Businesses are becoming more digitally agile thanks to the Digital Jobs for Manufacturing program.

Digital Jobs for Manufacturing is supporting IDT’s digital journey

Hear what IDT have to say about their experience with the Digital Jobs for Manufacturing program.

Digital Jobs for Manufacturing is supporting IDT’s digital journey

Audio: Music playing.

Vision: Building exterior, still of woman opening IDT door, staff in factory at assembly line

Paul McDonald – CEO IDT Australia

IDT is a business now approaching 50 years old. More recently, we're going through a transformation. We’re one of the early adopters of medicinal cannabis. While we're doing a lot of work toward mental health, we're still passionate about our roots in cancer drug development. Digital transformation is really in the front of my mind. The need to get up to speed with digital concepts is a priority.

Vision: Close shot of assembly line and controls, staff handling product bottles

Paul: The Digital Jobs for Manufacturing initiative by the Victorian Government is very welcome by IDT.

Vision: Assembly line, bottles moving along conveyer. It gives you an opportunity to develop staff in the moving trends. Malar and co worker approaching IDT doors

Malar Armugam – Senior Program Manager IDT Australia

I did the digital marketing course at RMIT. The first one was the digital analytics and insights and the second one was the digital marketing campaign. This is a really good course You can reap a lot of benefits out of it, you get the best out of it when it's real time learning.

Vision: Malar opening door to IDK, view through doors into factory, controls of machinery in manufacturing

Paul: This opportunity allows us to identify ways to breakthrough those barriers and actually move toward industry 4.0. so you can stay ahead of your industry 4.0 needs. I would highly recommend other organisations adopting this approach

Vision: Staff taking notes, handling products, Conveyer belt with bottles moving along, team members handling bottles

Digital Jobs for Manufacturing is supporting Integra’s digital journey

Hear what Integra Systems have to say about their experience with the Digital Jobs for Manufacturing program.

Digital Jobs for Manufacturing is supporting Integra’s digital journey

Audio: Music playing.

Vision: Machinery, worker handling sheet metal

Erika Hughes – Commercial Director Integra Systems

Integra Systems is a design led advanced manufacturer. So product development of sheet metal based products is our expertise.

Vision: Staff member working at desk, close up of digital drawings

The design team is the engine room for everything that goes through Integra Systems.

It's all about designing out waste, design for circularity and also innovation embedded in absolutely everything we do.

Vision: Staff gathered on factory floor listening to leader, staff member pulling product off machine

Erika: The digital jobs manufacturing program is really important for us as part of our digitisation strategy. There was a number of engineers who we wanted to upskill.

Vision: Staff in meeting room collaborating in a session. Shot of online program

Jarrah Leonard – Mechatronics Engineer Integra Systems

Vision: Jarrah working at desk

I took the AI and Machine learning course at Monash College. My experiences were great, really good teachers and a lot of new content, which was surprising.

Vision: Integra systems signage, staff member using automated systems

My role focuses around automation in the factory, so the machine learning portion was really valuable and the neural networks gave me a basic understanding.

So hopefully I'll be able to transition them towards our vision systems I could see using or other robotics inside of our factory.

Vision: Staff congregating around machine, worker handling sheet metal in factory, laser cutting metal on machine

Erika: The future of Australian manufacturing is going to be in making sure that we do things smarter and faster, and capturing that data is going to be one of the really important processes that we have to implement. And I think that the training that is offered is going to be really important for upskilling the people for the future of manufacturing.

Vision: Worker pulling sheet metal off machinery and putting into second machine. Team leader giving instruction/demonstration with sheet metal. Jarrah working at desk. Worker moving sheet metal into another area.

Further information

Refer to the Digital Jobs for Manufacturing – Course handbook for more information on available courses.

All courses are offered online and part-time over a 12-week period which means your staff can continue working while learning.

Upon successfully completing the courses, staff will gain recognised industry credentials.

Businesses must commit to providing relevant work activities to enable staff to apply and embed their learning in the workplace.

With limited places available, businesses can nominate up to five staff throughout the program for the following intakes:

  • Round 1:  commencing January 2023
  • Round 2: commencing May 2023
  • Round 3: commencing September 2023
  • Round 4: commencing January 2024
  • Round 5: commencing May 2024

FAQS

The Digital Jobs for Manufacturing program is designed to help you fill critical digital skills gaps in your organisation.

The program provides your nominated staff with fully subsidised training in critical digital skill sets relevant to the manufacturing industry.

As the courses are flexible and delivered online, staff can continue to work while they study.

The courses cater for a range of skill levels, but staff will need to be confident using common computer programs and navigating the internet.

Businesses are required to include a digital element into the staff member’s position description and ensure they undertake relevant work activities to apply and embed their learning.

Businesses can nominate up to five staff throughout the program to participate in Digital Jobs for Manufacturing courses.

The program will be open for applications until funds are allocated or 11.59pm 5 May 2024, whichever is earlier.

The high quality 12-week courses will be delivered by:

  • Academy Xi
  • Bendigo Kangan Institute
  • Cyber CX
  • Federation University
  • General Assembly
  • La Trobe University
  • Lumify
  • Monash College
  • RMIT Online
  • Swinburne University of Technology
  • University of Melbourne
  • Victoria University Polytechnic

Find out more about the training courses.

The program is open to businesses that have an existing manufacturing presence in Victoria, are on a growth trajectory and are seeking to use their existing workforce to apply digital technology to their operations.  

Businesses must meet the following criteria to be eligible:

  • Is a legal entity with an operating business presence in Victoria
  • Has a current Australian Business Number (ABN) and held that ABN on and from 1 October 2022
  • Has been registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST) on and from 1 October 2022
  • Has met all industrial relations obligations as an employer in accordance with the National Employment Standards
  • Attests that they will make their nominated employee/s available for training in the selected training round
  • Attests that both the applicant and their employee/s will participate in any future program evaluation activities.

There is a maximum of five course enrolments per business.

Yes, but there is a maximum of five course enrolments per business across all five rounds of the program.

Employers only need to incorporate the new digital skills developed into the employee’s position description upon completion of the training, and ensure the employee is assigned relevant work activities and tasks to apply and embed their learning.

If you are a Victorian manufacturing business and meet the eligibility criteria, you can upskill existing employees through the Digital Jobs for Manufacturing program.  Your business can also continue to employ staff through the Digital Jobs program.

The Victorian Government is investing $4.5 million in the Digital Jobs for Manufacturing program.

Page last updated: 13 March 2024