The nationally accredited Diploma of Applied Technologies has been developed by SAGE’s Skills Lab in response to industry calls for a new wave of learning to assist businesses move to Industry 4.0 upskilling.

South Australia is the first state to deliver the qualification, while other Australian states are set to launch soon.

Skills Lab general manager Laura Mabikafola said the diploma was designed to enable industry to harness the benefits of connected technology and big data by helping people to develop highly sought after skills within Australia.

“This diploma supports organisations to explore what problems could be solved using technology,” she said.

“The course content has been curated for reskilling and upskilling the workforce and includes ‘Work in Industry 4.0’ and ‘Manage and Analyse Big Data in Cloud Based Systems’ and can be done in person or online.”

Mabikafola said the diploma will be delivered over a period of one to three years and will provide graduates with hands-on experience and an industry recognised qualification.

“Off-job training will be delivered in blocks, or via part-time options that support local industry requirements,” she said.

“Skills Lab also provides virtual training options which are aligned to the in-class offerings, using sophisticated software to enable active participation while learning.”

Mabikafola said the course would draw on the field expertise of trainers to ensure the content is appropriate for industry.

The course is also billed as having strong focus on communication skills, encouraging students to collaborate across teams in order to find digital solutions for issues across engineering design and manufacturing, maintenance and security.

“We want to build on communication skills and bring people together to think about how to problem solve things not just in their own way, but to think about what they could be doing differently to enable a new way of working,” Mabikafola said.

Skills Lab has partnered with peak industry association the Australian Industry Group as well as TAFE to deliver the project.

Flinders University professor in innovation Giselle Rampersad said the university would also partner on the course in the future.

She said developing skills to utilise new and emerging technologies was critical to the success of Australia’s “next generation of manufacturing”.

Rampersad said Flinder’s international connections with advanced manufacturing and future factories helps them to support small and medium enterprises and the growth of advanced manufacturing.

“Apprentices undertaking this diploma will benefit from the industry connections, cutting edge research and global insights Flinders provides,” she said.

The course was launched at a virtual meeting by Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni last week.

Minister Pisoni said the course would deliver skills required for key growth sectors such as cyber security, defence and artificial intelligence.

“The Marshall Government commends the work of Skills Lab in leading this program which will be delivered through a combination of online learning, virtual learning, real-time connection with Skills Lab’s training rigs, and workplace-based training.”