Australia Defence to fast-track careers of 80 STEM professionals
The Australia’s Department of Defence has selected 80 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals to join the Navigate program, which aims to fast-track STEM specialists into leadership positions.
The 80 professionals—43% were women, 49% were men, and 8% were undisclosed—will go through a 12-month program with opportunities to work on solving some of Defence’s most significant science and technology challenges. The program has two six-month rotations, one-on-one mentoring, and a dedicated professional development program, after which participants are placed into a role within the department.
Another week, another Aussie (quantum) research hub
A joint research and development hub has been launched by La Trobe University, RMIT University, and Quantum Brilliance to focus on enhancing the computational power of diamond-based quantum computers.
The goal is to deliver real-world solutions to a broad spectrum of industries, according to Quantum Brilliance.
The hub itself is not a physical location but several. A centre of mass of facilities and people is located at La Trobe University while Quantum Brilliance R&D staff have been placed into the RMIT and La Trobe University teams.
Australia IT spending surpasses $117 billion
IT spending in Australia is now expected to surpass $117 billion, according to updated data from research firm Gartner. Despite what appears to be a big difference from the previous forecast of a 6.5% increase as opposed to the now 13.1% increase, Gartner attributes the difference to exchange rates against the US dollar, so no actual change.
Spending on IT services remains the largest category of IT spending. The software category registered the biggest growth, projected at 21.4%.