Swinburne University of Technology launches a series of bootcamp graduate certificate courses, developed in partnership with FourthRev, to upskill career changers and provide students the digital capabilities required to stand out in the digital economy. The courses are available on-campus and through its online arm, Swinburne Online.
Alongside completing projects, which will emulate real life work scenarios and designed with industry partners GitHub and Tableau, students will also work on a live project with employer partner, Xero. The said project will give students the chance to demonstrate their capabilities in an industry environment to further their work credentials.
The FourthRev course launch comes after the recent Swinburne University of Technology Work Integrated Learning announcement, which committed to providing students enrolling in 2021 the opportunity to gain industry experiences within their studies.
The launch coincides with the Australian Federal Government’s apprenticeship wage subsidy program, which is a part of it multi-billion-dollar investment in skills and training in its Economic Recovery Plan.
In less than two years, FourthRev co-founders Omar de Silva (pictured) and Jack Hylands have formed partnerships with tech companies AWS and Tableau to create learning experiences that provide a direct pathway to qualifications and employment in the digital economy.
A total of five courses will be available in market—three of which will be online and two delivered on campus—covering Professional Data Analytics, Programming and Development, and Product Management. Each course will focus on developing the in-demand digital capabilities of learners seeking to break into digital roles or accelerate the trajectory they are already on.
Curriculums feature software support, materials and insights from industry contributors such as Tableau, MuleSoft and Dropbox.
Swinburne says the graduate certificate courses are focused on industry-relevant capability development and active project-based learning.
FourthRev co-founder and Swinburne graduate Omar de Silva says the best way to address the growing digital skills gap is through close collaboration between industry and higher education partners.
“The scale of the digital skills gap cannot and should not be underestimated, but equally there is a huge opportunity. If education providers and industry can come together to create learning experiences that will translate to real-world success, Australia has the potential to be one of the most digitally robust and advanced markets in APAC, if not the world,” de Silva emphasises.
He adds: “We’re delighted to be working with Swinburne to support them in their mission to empower students to enjoy the most exciting and meaningful career opportunities available to them upon receiving their qualifications.”
FourthRev courses are currently available via 11 higher educational providers worldwide, including RMIT, University of Canberra, and University of California, Irvine. The start-up is in talks with further 20 organisations, and there are plans to double the number of higher education partners in the next 12-18 months.
Swinburne University of Technology deputy vice chancellor (Academic) – interim professor Chris Pilgrim (pictured) says the university had combined its academic and research expertise with the latest industry intelligence to provide career changers with future-focussed courses.
“In a rapidly transforming world of work, Swinburne is committed to helping leaders to be effective by partnering with companies that have valuable insights into what the future workforce needs,” Pilgrim says.
He concludes: “The launch of the bootcamp offering gives professionals an opportunity to enhance their career prospects in a fast and flexible way.”
The next student cohort for this accelerated industry-focused course commences in July 2021.
