Page 29 - Tropic Magazine Issue 20

TROPIC • EDUCATION

Future proofing

SOUGHT-AFTER SKILLS
Tropic reveals the jobs most in
demand and the local courses
that can provide the pathways.

As the next cohort of high school
graduates prepares for their future
careers, it’s been revealed there are
plenty of opportunities in industries
such as aviation, health, engineering disciplines, from short courses to
and agriculture due to chronic skills PhDs. CQUniversity Associate Vice
Chancellor Jodie McGuigan-George
told Tropic it’s catering for in-demand
professions, including pilots. “Cairns
residents can obtain a bachelor of
The good news is aviation degree and commercial
pilot’s licence with very little up-
that you can be front cost at CQU,” she said. “The has a Bachelor of IT course with a
trained for these partnership with Hinterland major in Network Security. “Students
Aviation also provides a pathway
careers in Cairns to local employment.” gain the theoretical and practical
CQU Cairns also offers courses for knowledge to defend businesses
and governments against attacks,”
three engineering disciplines – civil,
mechanical and electrical. “They’re Ms Duignan-George said. The IT
students can also gain real-world
all on campus for the full four years
shortages. The good news is that you of the degree,” Ms Duigan-George experience before graduating via a six
can be trained for these careers in said. “We will see our first on-campus month industry placement.
Cairns, which now has a full suite students graduate next year.”
of opportunities across all academic The university’s Cairns campus also MORE: cqu.edu.au

Pilots Accountants Cyber Security experts
The global shortage is already biting Students stopped choosing 60% of businesses in Australia are
through flight cancellations. Boeing accountancy when futurists wrongly experiencing a security breach once
predicts over 800,000 new pilots are predicted it would become a redundant per month and the threat is growing.
needed by 2037, with almost 40% profession. Between 2017 & 2018 the It’s estimated almost 20,000 extra
required in the Asia Pacific region. number of applicants for accountancy cyber security workers will be
positions dropped by two thirds. required by 2026.

Engineers Occupational Therapists Agricultural Technologists
Currently, only 59% of vacancies for The NDIS has revealed a critical With so much mechanisation in
engineering professions are able to be shortage of occupational therapists in the agricultural sector, workers
filled by suitable applicants. Engineers the Cairns region. It’s estimated about with high level Engineering and
Australia’s Cairns office reports 90,000 full-time equivalent workers IT skills are required to keep the
shortages in mechanical, structural and are needed nationwide by 2023. industry afloat.
electrical engineering.

29 • tropicnow.com.au