Tech Start partners with the South Australian Government bring more women into the space industry

Adelaide, Australia — August 29, 2022 — The Modis Tech Academy in collaboration with global tech leader Microsoft, today announced that Tech Start is one of seven projects to have partnered with the South Australian Government to expand and scale as part of their Workforce Innovation Projects program.

Tech Start, which is designed specifically for and with the South Australian space, defence and technology industry, helps South Australian women gain industry recognised credentials, professional mentoring, and career development support.

Tech Start aligns to the State’s ambition to develop a local, skilled workforce ready to unlock the employment opportunities associated with the Australian Space Agency national strategy – which includes the ambition to grow the workforce by an additional 20,000 jobs by 2030. Many of these space industry jobs will require knowledge and experience in technology, including data analytics, cybersecurity, and software development.

Anatoli Kovalev, VP Modis Tech Academy, says “We are extremely proud that our Tech Start program has been supported by the South Australian Government and that together with our partners at Microsoft, we can create a direct pathway for women to take up entry-level Data Analytics and Cybersecurity roles at leading tech companies, with a focus on serving South Australia’s flourishing space and defence industries.”

The Workforce Innovation Projects will deliver tailored and innovative skills and workforce development solutions to enhance critical capabilities for growth and competitiveness. The targeted program focuses on increasing skill levels and improving workforce supply in partnership with the South Australian Government by exploring new ideas and innovative solutions that deliver effective and relevant workforce outcomes.

The Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Susan Close says, “Workforce development projects like these can build business resilience to environmental, social and technical change and position local industry to expand, diversify and compete in current and emerging markets. These projects have been designed by industry and focus on increasing workforce capability and business productivity and mitigating risks of the current labour supply shortages.”

The inaugural Tech Start program, launched in February 2022, opened to 20 female students who were among over 200 applications for the program. The program helped participants acquire the skills and industry recognised credentials necessary to step into an entry level data analyst role, paving the way for more diverse representation across tech in Australia.

Lynn McDonald, Microsoft Azure Space Asia Pacific, says “Microsoft is excited to be a part of bringing this successful reskilling model from Europe to Australia, with the initial launch in Adelaide. It’s important to us to support the skilling and diverse talent needs of the rapidly growing Australian Space industry. We’re grateful for the collaboration with industry partners and the support of the South Australian Government as we expand the scope and impact of this program.”

Danielle Nuns, a graduate from the inaugural Tech Start program says, “My experience at the Tech Academy was constantly supported by industry experts, who cared about my career growth and development. Besides the learnings and project work, I made strong friendships, built meaningful connections, and found incredible mentors. The program provided real practical work experience that helped me start my career as a Data Analyst.”

“We’re proud to say that many of our students have already secured employment opportunities through our local industry partnerships, which is such a fantastic outcome for all involved, and we look forward to building upon this success through future Tech Start programs.” Anatoli says.

Tech Start is opening its doors again in August 2022. Expression of Interest are now open here; https://www.modis.com/en-au/expertise/what-we-do/business-services/modis-tech-academy/techstart/

About Modis, soon to become Akkodis Australia

AKKA & Modis, soon to become Akkodis, is a global leader in the engineering and R&D market that is leveraging the power of connected data to accelerate innovation and digital transformation. In Australia, we look forward to making the full transition into Akkodis in late 2022.

Together, we have a shared passion for technology and talent, 50,000 engineers and digital experts deliver deep cross-sector expertise in 30 countries across North America, EMEA and APAC. We offer broad industry experience, and strong know-how in key technology sectors such as mobility, software & technology services, robotics, testing, simulations, data security, AI & data analytics. The combined IT and engineering expertise brings a unique end-to-end solution offering, with four service lines – Consulting, Solutions, Talent and Academy – to support clients in rethinking their product development and business processes, improve productivity, minimise time to market and shape a smarter and more sustainable tomorrow. Modis, soon to become Akkodis is part of the Adecco Group.

For further information, please contact:

Modis Australia

Samantha Amiridis

samantha.amiridis@adeccogroup.com

Ph: 0447 495 586