Digital Innovation Skills Hive launches in Mackay

CQUniversity and BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) has today launched a Digital Innovation Skills Hive (DISH) in Mackay.

Located at the Resources Centre of Excellence on Chrichtons Road' the DISH will be a place to showcase and promote initiatives that support the collective efforts of industry players and education providers' addressing the challenges of existing and emerging digital technologies and their impacts on the current and future of work' workforces and communities.

CQUniversity and BMA Chair in Automation and Future Work Skills' Professor Pierre Viljoen officially launched the DISH and said that together with the Resources Centre of Excellence' the hive would develop transformational workforce solutions for the resource sectors' METS (mining equipment' technology and services) industries and regional communities.

'It was a great honour to today officially launch the CQUniversity and BMA Digital Innovation Skills Hive – or DISH'' Prof Viljoen said.

'The DISH will be a place where collaboration between educators' industry' research and all levels of government will be encouraged and promoted'' he said.

'It will be a place where cross-pollination of ideas will be facilitated' where innovative' future-focused solutions for the challenges of an unfolding Industry 4.0 will be generated and where new knowledge in relation to community and workforce transitioning will be created.'

BMA's Head of Resource Engineering' Shaun Hansen' said that BMA were proud to support the establishment of DISH.

'This will provide a space for collaboration to occur in the Mackay Isaac region. We know bringing together a diverse team delivers the best results'' he said.

'The work that Professor Pierre Viljoen is doing to bring innovators' industry' government and educators together is key to unlocking and accelerating skills' training and education outcomes for the future.'