According to the federal government’s National Skills Commission’s 2022 Skills Priority List, software and applications programmers and ICT business and systems analysts are among the most sought-after skills in Australia. Furthermore, the Skilled Migration List includes a number of IT-related professions which demonstrate the growing ICT skill shortage in Australia.

By 2024, there will be over 1 million technology workers in Australia, a figure forecast to grow to 1.2 million by 2027 (Deloitte Access Economics and the Australian Computer Society 2022). So, what’s the solution? Excelsia College is excited to launch its brand-new Bachelor of Information Technology to respond to these increasing demands.

Dr Andrew Levula, Associate Professor of Information Technology and IT Program Director, brings over 15 years’ experience in areas of project management, information communication technology, development economics, financial inclusion, academia and health research. He has facilitated training workshops for organisations and higher education institutions on e-governance, project management, leadership and teamwork, information communication technology, financial inclusion, and women empowerment. Students studying under Andrew will develop a broad skillset and gain cutting edge information technology skills that they will be able to apply to a variety of career paths in line with the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) code of occupations.

Within this unique course, students can choose to major in digital transformation, cyber security, or business information systems.

Digital transformation refers to various applications of digital technology that transform business and society including business operations and management and business relationships with customers, suppliers, and regulators. Students will learn about emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, big data, fintech and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Cyber security involves looking at security threats, risk identification, analysis and mitigation strategies, as well as how to maintain a secure working environment and protect against cyber threats and attacks and the impact on legal compliance and social cohesion. Students will also be learning about disaster recovery and business continuity management.

Business information systems combines the concepts of business and technology that are used to provide information used by organisations to manage themselves efficiently, including hardware, software, data, people, and business processes and procedures (design, development, and documentation).

Excelsia is centrally located in Macquarie Park and 30 minutes from the city of Sydney. Furthermore, Excelsia College is the only Australian faith-based institution to offer a Bachelor of Information Technology. Students will study information technology at a College grounded in Christ-based principles which they can use in their future workplace and in society. ‘Students can develop a strong network with other staff and students and learn within a supportive and

transformative learning environment. This is a key strength of the Excelsia learning environment,’ explains Andrew. Excelsia prides itself on being a nurturing and safe community where students will build relationships that last long beyond their College days.

Graduates majoring in digital transformation could expect to work as:

· digital transformation analyst

· data analyst

· IT consultancy across strategy and innovation

· change and business improvement

· risk assurance

· enterprise systems

· IT project management.

A major in cyber security could open up employment opportunities such as:

· cyber security analyst

· IT helpdesk manager

· IT security specialist

· IT security consultant

· ethical hacker

· cloud specialist.

Those majoring in business information systems could explore roles including:

· database administrator

· business analyst

· software and application programmer

· software tester

· web developer

· systems analyst

· ICT quality assurance

· software and application programmer.

Be ready to solve real-world problems and prepare for the future and interrelationship across people, technology and society. Why not explore the Bachelor of Information Technology today?

References

Deloitte Access Economics and the Australian Computer Society. (2022). ACS Australia’s Digital Pulse Unlocking the tech sector: beyond one million 2022. https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/economics/articles/australias-digital-pulse.html

National Skills Commission. (2022). Skills priority list released.

https://www.nationalskillscommission.gov.au/news/2022-skills-priority-list-releasedTonkin, C. (2022). Govt adds 10 more IT occupations to shortage list. ACS Information Age.

https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2022/govt-adds-10-more-it-occupations-to-shortage-list.html

With a master’s degree in business studies, Sushma Shrestha was working in the banking industry when she started thinking about doing further studies to enhance her knowledge and skills in leadership and business. While doing intensive research she discovered Excelsia College’s postgraduate degree. ‘The Master of Business (Research) was the perfect choice for a working professional like me due to the career advancement it offered.’

Sushma vividly remembers the day she arrived in Sydney in July 2018. ‘As an international student, I was both terrified and excited as everything was new to me and Excelsia College was the only place where I felt so connected with meeting students from my home country.’ She was able to firmly embed herself within the College community as not only a student but also as a staff member. ‘I considered myself very fortunate as I became a front desk receptionist in 2018 when I started my course. Being interviewed for this position and being selected was one of my key highlights at the College.’ Sushma also found comfort in the role as she adjusted to being so far from home. ‘The front receptionist role provided me with great confidence to go through life far from Nepal.’

Sushma was also able to get to know staff, senior management and lecturers and see the College’s values and beliefs reflected through the people she came across. ‘All the people were very amiable and supportive and they reflected Christ-like behaviour. I was able to align with Excelsia’s values and beliefs centred around a Christian learning environment. Likewise, as a student I was connected with different Bible verses throughout the course.’

During her studies, Sushma and her peers were provided with a choice of several different leadership areas for their final year Master of Business (Research) thesis. ‘I chose servant leadership around the premise of a leader who serves first. This topic reflects my beliefs in treating people with love, compassion and respect and implementing the values throughout my life to influence others and make a difference,’ she explains. Sushma presented her thesis at the College’s HDR symposium in November 2020, helping her to refine her research project even further. ‘Excelsia College provided me with immense love, support and guidance throughout my studies, as well as beyond the College in building my confidence to face life abroad. This makes me feel capable to utilise my principles of love, compassion, and respect towards every human being wherever I go.’

Sushma enjoyed celebrating her graduation held at the Wesley Centre earlier this year! She is now a mother and working in the retail sector with the aspiration to be in a leadership position in the near future.

If you are considering postgraduate studies or want to learn how to lead others with integrity within your organisation, why not explore our Master of Business (Research)? You never know where the course could take you!