Rio Tinto and EdTech Sector to Invest in Developing the Skills of Young Australians for the Future
Summary
The company will invest A$10 million in a four-year national programme, targeted at school-age learners, that aims to fast-track the development of skills needed for the digital future, including critical thinking, problem-solving, automation, systems design, and data analytics. Launched today at the Rio Tinto Centre for Mine Automation at the University of Sydney, and developed in partnership with leading startup accelerator BlueChilli and Amazon Web Services (AWS), the programme will crowd-source and fund ideas from start-ups and schools. Data compiled by employment analytics firm Burning Glass shows there is a shortage of transferable, broad-based Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) skills, such as systems analysis and programming, and broader expertise, such as communication and problem solving, needed for the digital revolution. Rio Tinto chief executive J-S Jacques said “ This new programme takes a bold and disruptive approach to identifying solutions that will help equip young people with the knowledge and skills for a changing world. We need to prepare young people for these changes and at a minimum ensure that with increasing digitisation of the workplace there is basic digital literacy across all workers.” To register your interest in the programme or join our EdTech community, please visit Bluechilli.com/futureskills