WiseTech’s Richard White launches corporate partnership to lift the number of tech workers

WiseTech billionaire Richard White already pays students $300k to study and work at his company and now has launched a partnership designed to ease Australia’s tech worker shortage.

Richard White says there’s a shortage of tech skills in Australia. Picture: Aaron Francis

Australian companies must help combat a chronic tech worker shortage to ensure the nation can capitalise on the artificial intelligence boom and defend itself against “increasing cyber attacks”, says WiseTech’s Richard White.

The billionaire and Tech Council of Australia director has launched a partners forum to double the number of tech workers in Australia to 1.2 million by 2030.

Partners include Commonwealth Bank, Herbert Smith Freehills, NBN Co, Lockton, the Australian Public Service Commission, and the Australian Technology Network of Universities.

Mr White said about 62 per cent of tech workers were employed at companies not considered traditional tech players, such as retailers, banks, miners and professional services.

Executives face pressure to adopt AI platforms to lift flatlining productivity and fend off cyber threats like those which hit Medibank and Optus – and the subsequent potential for customer class actions. This exacerbates the demand for tech talent, he said.

“Some of the most pressing questions for Australian companies today, including the surge in AI adoption, increasing cyber threats and the demand for skilled tech workers, are relevant across the economy,” Mr White said.

“The launch of the partners forum recognises the opportunities for collaboration on these issues by bringing together organisations, regardless of industry.

“Working with organisations across the economy is critical to maximising the potential opportunities from technology adoption and solving common problems, such as skills shortages.”

The TCA estimates Australia will need to employ an additional 653,000 tech workers by 2030. This represents an increase of 186,000 versus a “business-as-usual approach”.

“There is a shortage of tech skills in Australia, which is an issue for all industries because tech jobs exist across the economy – not just in the tech sector,” Mr White said.

“It’s important for us to work to influence technology understanding and adoption, and drive how it impacts our economy and future, including by developing stronger tech pipelines, increasing tech adoption, and encouraging investment in tech and innovation.

“This is because organisations are becoming much more tech infused and frequent adopters of new technology.”

Mr White has doubled the intake WiseTech’s Earn and Learn program – which pays students the equivalent of $300,000 while they study a degree and work at the company – and has called on other companies to offer similar schemes, saying it was a “win win”.

“We’d love to see more companies invest in the future tech pipeline and we’re open to talking to businesses about sharing the program and its implementation,” he said.

“There’s an enormous benefit in combining university coursework with a full time, well paid ‘on-the-job’ skills development program. Not only do they excel at university because their learning is fast tracked with additional practical learning and skills development at WiseTech, but at the end of their university degree these students have gained four years of software engineering experience, putting them far ahead of their peers in terms of reward, knowledge and future prospects.”

Commonwealth Bank executive general manager of human resources technology Jane Adams said: “we recognise that the future of work is intertwined with technology across all

sectors of the economy.

“The Tech Council Partners Forum is a pivotal step towards building a collaborative environment where diverse industries can leverage technology to drive innovation and create meaningful employment opportunities, ensuring that we all thrive in this digital age.”

Herbert Smith Freehills head of digital Julian Lincoln said his firm intended to play “a leading role” in cultivating tech talent.

“There are a number of significant and emerging legal issues impacting Australia’s tech sector,” he said.

“By joining the forum and utilising our deep expertise from our market-leading technology and data, corporate and disputes practices, we will continue to guide our clients in the sector and ensure the overall sector’s continued long-term growth and success.”

The Tech Council’s as worked with partner Australian companies to deliver the national technology Virtual Work Experience Program, helping create a “pathway to 1.2 million tech jobs”.

“The Virtual Work Experience Program has been used by over 2000 learners across four career experiences: data scientist and software engineer with CommBank, cybersecurity specialist with Microsoft and network engineer with NBN,” Mr White said.

“These are the kind of practical initiatives we expect to work on with our partners through this new forum.

“In addition to building the tech workforce pipeline, we’ll be working with partners to drive safe and responsible adoption of technology and investment in innovation across the economy.”