New Darwin digital hub to tackle Territory’s jobs skills crisis

A new school is opening in the CBD with a focus on growing the NT’s IT skills from a very low base. Read what's happening.

The Territory’s first ever e-sports and digital games development centre, The Array - Learn, Make, Play, will officially launch in Darwin next week with an international Tekken 8 teams battle live-streamed to potentially thousands of viewers around the world.

An Australian team will take on the Philippines in the Tekken 8 challenge on February 22, but The Array founder and chief executive Dylan Bennett said the video game battle would be a geek fun-fest before the serious work begins.

Dylan Bennett at The Array

Located at the old Victoria Hotel building in Smith Street mall, The Array is a Territory government program to upskill the IT workforce. The Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade released tenders an innovation challenge tender two years ago to develop a specialist tech hub to train the NT’s IT workforce.

A consortium led by Mr Bennett, who founded video game studio Larrikin Interactive, and Paspaley won the tender ahead of 17 local, national and international contenders.

They were given seed funding from government, with an expectation the not-for-profit would be able to stand alone in coming years.

Jimmy Bamble’s internal wall mural at The Array. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

The Paspaley involvement helped secure the Victoria Hotel venue, which the company owns, and Paspaley director Nick Hanigan is one of The Array’s three directors.

A former Darwin High School student who became a teacher before moving into video design, Mr Bennett has watched with a mix of surprise and concern at the NT and Australia’s low IT skills base.

“We have an absolute crisis in Australia and the Territory with tech capability,” he said. “We’re heavily reliant on flying in talent from around the world to fill our tech jobs.

Jimmy Bamble’s mural at The Array.

“We don’t have career pathways because 60 per cent of teachers don’t feel comfortable teaching tech and NAPLAN results indicate the Territory could have a tech illiterate cohort of students graduating of up to 65 per cent, which means there are more tech illiterate students than literate students.”.

When it begins operating later this month, The Array will deliver a number of education programs to school kids and adults that will try to bridge the tech skills shortfall locally.

“We are an education company, delivering courses specifically around technology. Tech creative is our target market. If somebody is a painter, until they pick up a stylus and put it on the pad, that’s when we really get invested in them,” he said.

It will partner with a range of educational partners, including international tech school 42 Adelaide, to deliver up to six classes a week to middle and high school students from 3.30pm to 5.30pm. It will then swing to adult learning between 6pm and 8pm and as well there’ll be weekend boot camps and holiday camps for students.

Jobs and Business Minister Joel Bowden. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

From late this year or early 2025 they expect to begin delivering Certificate 3 and 4 courses and there will also be a shared space upstairs at The Array for professionals who require 24-seven access to the hub.

Jobs and Business Minister Joel Bowden said there was plenty of excitement about The Array opening.

“The Array will support the development of a new industry in the Territory, providing alternative pathways for in demand skills and training while activating the Victoria Hotel, an iconic historical site in Darwin City,” Mr Bowden said.

When operating at capacity, there will be about six teachers and up to 120 students passing through The Array every week.

The finishing touches are being put to the building ahead of next week’s opening including murals drawn by local artist Jimmy Bamble.