Google trends reveal Goulburn residents searching for online professional certifications

Interest in online professional certifications has now reached a 10-year high in Australia, with Goulburn only beaten by Warrugal in Victoria and followed by Lismore in NSW out of the top 15 regions for Google searches on the topic.

According to 2021 ABS census data, about 45 per cent of residents in Goulburn Mulwaree have completed some level of tertiary education. However, the challenges of the pandemic have likely contributed to an increased interest in further upskilling.

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Google Australia's managing director, Mel Silva, said the rise of remote work had inspired those in rural areas to upskill.

"[They can] contribute to Australia's growing digital economy, without having to find the time for long-term formal training especially mid-career or with other responsibilities," she said.

As part of a $1billion digital investment over five years, Google Australia has launched Career Certificates, aiming to help provide Australians with high-demand digital skills and help connect them to technology-related jobs.

According to Google, the certificates will offer job-ready professional training, in areas including IT Support, UX Design, Data Analytics, Project Management and Digital Marketing.

Chamber of commerce president Darrell Weekes said he believed Goulburn was in a perfect position to take advantage of digital certifications and the town could even become a tech centre.

Mr Weekes said Goulburn was one of the NBN regional network communities where businesses could have fibre optic internet connected with minimal upfront costs.

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Australia is facing a digital skills shortage, with a Deloitte and ACS Report, 'Australia's Digital Pulse', identifying an information communications technology jobs gap with 300,000 workers needed over the next five years.

In Goulburn, the top three industries of employment in 2021 were hospitals, aged care residential services and supermarkets.

However, Mr Weekes said since COVID-19 had forced people to work remotely, they had realised how productive they could potentially be from home.

"I think even the way we build houses is changing... houses will be designed with dedicated workspaces so people aren't working from their dining room tables," he said.

Although Google Australia is not registered with the Australian Government's Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, the Google Career Certificates will be recognised by major business partners including Australia Post, Woolworths Group, Canva, Optus and IAG.

Ms Silva said the new courses would help support regional communities to become more digitally connected and contribute to Australia's progress in becoming a leading digital economy.

"Regional communities have an important role to play in building a strong and inclusive digital future for all Australians and can help to meet demand across all industries for technology-related jobs," Ms Silva said.

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