Innovative approach to preparing the workforce of the future

Today I announce that the Australian Government's innovationXchange will partner with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Solve initiative and Australian software company, Atlassian, to help young people from the Indo-Pacific region prepare for the workforce of the future.

Australia will contribute $1.4 million to the MIT-led Solve global challenge, Youth & the Workforce of the Future, which will crowd-source expertise and innovative ideas from around the globe to help prepare communities and governments for the future of work. The most promising ideas will be awarded pilot funding, with the potential to be scaled up for regional application.

Technology is transforming jobs globally. Young people face a world in which almost half the jobs available today may disappear in the coming decades. By some forecasts, 65 percent of today's school children will work in industries and sectors yet to be developed.

This partnership will help apply the science, engineering, technology and innovation capabilities of MIT and Atlassian to the challenges faced by young people in the Indo-Pacific region as a result of technological change.

In addition to the Government's contribution, Atlassian is providing up to $1.4 million for winning ideas for disadvantaged youth in any country.

I encourage people with relevant expertise or with an innovative idea to participate in the Solve Challenge. Applications are open until 1 August 2017 and further details on the Challenge including how to apply can be found here.

The innovationXchange was established in March 2015 within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to form new partnerships and identify innovative approaches to improve the effectiveness and impact of the Australian aid program, and public policy more generally.