Digital and cloud skills programs for the Future Workforce launch in Australia and Thailand

Countries across the Asia Pacific region continue to launch programs to develop digital and cloud skills for the future workforce. In Australia and Thailand, Google is working with governments, not-for-profit organizations, and universities to bring development programs to enable the next generation of workers with the right digital skills. Learners at universities, and individuals supported by specialist not-for-profit organizations will be able to learn new skills in a range of growing future careers, such as IT Support, Cloud engineering, Project Management, Digital Marketing or User Experience design.

In Thailand, the Samart Skills program launched at the beginning of October, with support from the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, the Office of the Vocational Education Commission, the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) and leading education institutions across Thailand. According to AlphaBeta’s report published last year, Thailand’s digital transformation could generate up to THB2.5 trillion (USD79.5 billion) in annual economic value by 2030. Around 78% of business leaders in Thailand put digitalization as a key strategy in 2021, while the World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs Report 2020” showed that only 55% of workers in Thailand are literate in the required digital skills for future work. There is an urgent need to address Thailand’s digital skills gap.

In addition to the 21,000 scholarships for Google Career Certificates, we are partnering with universities to offer the Google Cloud Computing Foundations curriculum to equip undergraduates with technical proficiency in cloud computing, where they will earn a skills badge. This is an important first step in building the skills needed by employers and the journey to professional certification alongside their academic qualifications.

Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn said “By 2030, the total demand for digital talent in Thailand will exceed 1 million workers. So there is an urgent need to build up a digital workforce to match the demand. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society is pleased to work with the public sector, educational institutions and the private sector including Google Thailand to bridge this talent gap and upskill Thais to get access to high quality in-demand jobs.”

In Australia, the Digital Future Initiative was given a boost with the announcement of 10,000 scholarships for Google’s Career Certificate program focused on women and First Nations Australians. Using Cloud skills programs plus Google Career Certificates, the program is designed to lead to improved employment opportunities. A consortium of Australia’s leading employers that includes Australia Post, Woolworths Group, Canva, Optus and IAG is partnering on this project and planning to hire course graduates. Brooke Hayne, People Director at Woolworths, noted: “We’re incredibly excited by the potential for Google’s Career Certificates to unearth great talent by fast-tracking their path to a career change or that first job that helps them get their foot in the door.”

As the demand for digital skills increases, we’re pleased to continue to develop new initiatives with governments and educational institutions, with the shared goal of preparing for the digital economy of the future.