Propelling Australia’s marine industry through innovation in education

French industrial giants Capgemini and Dassault Systèmes are teaming up with the University of Adelaide on a new education programme that aims to prepare learners for a digitally-driven future in Australia’s marine industry and offshore sector.

Billed as an industry-first, the programme developed in collaboration with the university will be based on Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform and will run for four months.

It is open to both young graduates and experienced industry practitioners who will receive training that covers theory, practical and soft skills courses.

As part of the curriculum, Capgemini will provide its expertise across areas such as product life cycle management, cybersecurity, customer experience, cloud and artificial intelligence.

The goal is to get learners clued up on the fundamental concepts of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which include collaborative innovation process, product life cycle management, digital factory and digital twins.

Most crucially, programme participants will learn the digital transformation challenges of customers in the digital economy, and understand how to implement the 3DEXPERIENCE platform within new industrial processes of today and into the future.

Intensive, impactful and hands-on, the short course effectively offers learners an opportunity to transition to the highly-lucrative marine industry. 

With marine territories stretching across 10.2 million square kilometres (32 percent larger than the size of the mainland), Australia’s “blue economy” is a high-value and high-growth sector, contributing more than AU$74 billion a year to the national GDP, oil and gas representing the single largest contributor to the overall marine economy.

As a result, those with interest and skills in any of Australia’s marine industry sectors remain in high demand, especially as they contend with the challenges of a digital era.

Programmes like the one being offered by the University of Adelaide and its industry partners can help fill crucial talent gaps that the sector is experiencing. That it is the product of the collaborative effort of the university and leaders like Capgemini and Dassault Systèmes further augments its value, as it means participants will be picking up real-world knowledge during the course of the programme.

“Leading businesses are reimagining the future of work as we transition into a digitally innovative economy,” said Luc-Francois Salvador, Executive Chairman, Capgemini in Asia Pacific, in a press release.

“This industry collaboration is a catalyst for rapidly accelerating a more productive and adaptive future workforce, especially in the defence and naval related industries in South Australia. The programme will deliver a high calibre of talent which will help enhance global competitiveness for Australia.”

Professor Pascale Quester, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Adelaide, said the course is the perfect example of how innovation in education can not only prepare today’s learners for a digital future, it also provides an opportunity for the current workforce to upskill and transition from other industry sectors.

“The University of Adelaide has a strong commitment to working with industry partners, co-creating the workforce of the future and feeding directly into the defence skills base available in South Australia,” he said. 

The programme builds on the University of Adelaide’s existing relationship with Dassault. The university currently hosts the firm’s South Australian regional centre and has partnered with it for a similar programme delivered for the energy and minerals sector.

“We are living an Industry Renaissance. Digital transformation is reshaping industries, linking the real and virtual to bring new ways of inventing, learning, producing and trading,” Florence Verzelen, Executive Vice President, Industry Solutions, Marketing, Global Affairs and Communication at Dassault Systèmes said.

“Dassault Systèmes is thrilled to support this collaborative education program in Australia to prepare the workforce of the future and transform the industry.”