Capacity building for 21st century innovative work in the digital content industries

In May 2010, the Creative Workforce team in partnership with the Institute for Adult Learning Singapore submitted an ARC Linkage project application called Capacity building for 21st century innovative work: Addressing the learning needs of digital content workers
in Australia and Singapore. The ARC will announce funding outcomes in October 2010.

The overall objective of this study is to understand the education/training needs of digital content workers (both specialist and embedded) and the extent to which they can be met by formal and informal education and training provision. This international comparative study will take a “whole-system” and “lifelong-lifewide”approach to characterise the learning needs of digital content workers.

To achieve the above objective, the project team has set the following aims:

1. Develop an understanding of the composition and development of the digital content workforce in Australia and Singapore, both within the digital content sector and ‘embedded’ beyond it in other sectors
2. Identify capabilities needed by digital content workers in the two countries, in light of current and anticipated future requirements, using a whole-system (all stakeholders) approach
3. Map adult education and training provision for digital content workers once in the workforce, with an emphasis on informal, workplace and self-directed opportunities
4. Identify opportunities for digital content worker capability development
5. Generate integrated education and training strategies to enable Singapore and Australia to address these needs.

This study will fill a serious gap in research on workforce development and human capital issues for the digital content industries.

For more information about the study contact Ruth Bridgstock at r.bridgstock@qut.edu.au.