NSW to pilot digital technology institute

NSW will pilot a new digital technology applied learning institute with the help of TAFE NSW, Microsoft, Macquarie University and UTS.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the “revolutionary education model” would be piloted at the under-construction Meadowbank Education and Employment Precinct in Sydney’s west.

The ‘Institute of Applied Technology for Digital Technology’, as it is to be known, “will see students merge the knowledge gained through university study with the hands-on technical skills acquired through vocational education, all in the one model,” Perrottet said in a statement.

Minister for skills and tertiary education Geoff Lee said the institute would “play a critical role in developing a strong and robust technology workforce in NSW and addressing industry-wide skills shortages.”

It will initially focus on “three signature disciplines of big data, cyber security, and artificial intelligence,” Lee said.

Industry and education partners to the institute are expected to create and offer a range of microcredentials, master classes and industry credentials through the institute.

ICT trainees are also expected to pass through its doors as well.

The ‘Institute of Applied Technology for Digital Technology’ is due to open in August next year.