University of South Australia partners with Accenture for digital skills
As Adelaide begins to emerge as a significant tech hub, Accenture and the University of South Australia have joined forces to establish a business and digital innovation academy.
The global professional services giant has teamed up with the university to create ‘The Innovation Academy in Digital Business’, which from next year will offer a unique curriculum focused on the intersection between technology and business. The joint venture with the University of South Australia follows on from the firm’s launch of an Adelaide-based technology hub last year, which is expected to create 2,000 positions over the coming five years.
“We are delighted to be working with Accenture to bring the academy to life,” said University of South Australia Vice Chancellor David Lloyd. “This will be a global powerhouse in educating a new breed of business professional, informed by best practice and insight from one of the world’s leading technology and strategic consulting firms. Our students will be not just studying with the best, they’ll be learning from the best as well.”
Intended to help address known and emerging skills gaps and enhance productivity in Australia’s strategic growth areas, the Innovation Academy will launch next year with a Bachelor in Digital Business program as its first offering – designed around real-world Accenture materials and case studies. This will be followed up with a course focussed on the upskilling and reskilling of established workforces in leading-edge digital business practices.
According to the two organisations (which have previously partnered on health and defence innovation), the professional development component of the Academy will offer real-time, academically-moderated, practical upskilling programs featuring tailored digital business training modules, with Academy learners to graduate with recognised tertiary qualifications in in-demand segments.
Enrolments open for the new online course from mid-2022. “We are thrilled to be working with the University of South Australia and believe the Innovation Academy will transform how we think about digital business education, locally and globally,” said Jordan Griffiths, Accenture’s Operations Lead for Australia & New Zealand.
“The Academy will give students real-world applicability to their studies as well as contributing to the upskilling of Australia, by developing talent that is equipped for the technology-driven future.”
The move comes as Adelaide emerges as a significant technology centre, driven in part by the consulting sector. In addition to Accenture’s aerospace and defence focused-hub, PwC has recently launched an on-shore delivery centre – with 300 highly-skilled digital jobs to be created over the next 18 months – which was quickly followed by the US-based tech consulting firm MTX Group selecting the city as its first step into the Asia Pacific.
