Business

NEW COURSES TO STRENGTHEN DIGITAL WORKFORCE

An army of cyber security, cloud computing and artifcial intelligence experts will be trained at the State’s frst revolutionary Institute of Applied Technology (IAT) with the NSW Government today unveiling of a suite of 19 new digitalfocused courses.

The new facility, located at Meadowbank, is a partnership between TAFE NSW, Microsoft, the University of Technology Sydney and Macquarie University, and will focus on turbocharging the take-up of digital skills to strengthen our State’s workforce.

Minister for Skills and Training Alister Henskens said the new IAT, which opens in February next year, is now taking enrolments in courses spanning artifcial intelligence, cyber security, cloud computing, machine learning and data analytics.

“These courses have been developed handin-glove with industry to meet current and emerging skill needs,” Mr Henskens said.

“At a time when cyberattacks are on the rise, this training will allow people to quickly build the skills we need for a strong and safe digital economy.

“With Australia needing another 17,000 cyber professionals by 2026, now is the time for people to enroll in courses at our new IAT and get the skills they need for jobs in cyber security, digital forensics, data engineering, machine learning, and more.”

To meet this increasing industry demand, the IAT will offer a combination of fexible microskills and microcredentials to cater for new learners as well as current industry workers who require upskilling to maintain pace with the rapidly evolving sector.

Member for Ryde and Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Victor Dominello said learners can stack multiple microcredentials to create a nationally recognised certifcation, such as a diploma, or advanced diploma, or count towards a degree with participating education partners.

“Ryde is being transformed into an education and employment powerhouse, and this revolutionary new training facility will help attract, retain and upskill local workers, which is a fantastic win for our community,” Mr Dominello said.

In addition to the 19 programs now available, the IAT will release another 16 courses in time for Semester 2, 2023. For more information, visit www.iat.nsw.edu.au.

MORE SAVINGS, MORE BUSINESSES, BETTER SENIORS CARD PROGRAM

Businesses will now be able to register for the NSW Seniors Card program faster and more effciently online, thanks to the new digital registration process offcially going live from today.

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Victor Dominello said the new and improved digital registration process will save businesses time and make it easier for them to update their discounts and business details.

“Until now, businesses were required to submit paper forms and wait up to four weeks to get approved to join the program with on average just ffteen new businesses on boarded each month,” Mr Dominello said.

“With the new online registration process, we have the ability to register hundreds of new businesses every week. For most businesses the registration process will take less than 10 minutes.

“We have also added a new enhanced map experience that will provide seniors with a bird’s-eye view of the savings on offer.

“Since launching the Digital Seniors Card in April, we have had an average of 24,000 seniors joining the program every month. Our digital savvy seniors are really enjoying the experience with a customer satisfaction rate of 90 per cent.”

Minister for Seniors Mark Coure said increasing business participation in the NSW Seniors Card program was a win-win for seniors and businesses.

“By reducing the registration time, we are making it much easier for businesses across the State to get involved in the program and promote themselves to the almost two million seniors in NSW,” Mr Coure said.

“The new digital platform will also allow new and existing businesses to easily update their discounts with the click of a button. This is a great opportunity for businesses to directly reach one of the State’s biggest markets.

“While giving them opportunity to connect with more customers, these businesses will ultimately be helping ease some of the pressure on seniors’ house hold budget.”

To register their business for the NSW Seniors Card program, business representatives must be authorised to act on behalf of the business by being listed as an associate in the Australian Business Register. If they are not, they’ll be guided through the steps for authorisation when they start their registration. Alternatively, they can supply a letter of authority.

For more information or to register, call Service NSW on 13 77 88 for assistance or to complete the online form go to: https:// www.service.nsw.gov. au/transaction/applybe-nsw-seniors-cardprogram-participatingbusiness

PROTECTING YOUR BUSINESS FROM SCAM

Scams affecting small business

Between JanuarySeptember this year, Scamwatch received more than 1,440 reports from small businesses about scams, with $6.6 million lost.

False billing and phishing scams were the most commonly reported scams.

Recent data breaches

Scamwatch has seen new scams quickly emerge following the Optus data breach.

As a small business, it’s important that you take extra care with customer accounts to protect your data and your money falling into the hands of scammers.

It’s equally important for you to monitor your platforms and services for scams or suspicious activity.

Five simple steps to avoid scams

1. Inform and educate your staff members about scams (such as by forwarding this email and subscribing to Scamwatch email alerts and following @ Scamwatch_gov on Twitter). 2. Have clear processes in place for verifying and paying accounts, and make sure all staff know about them. 3. Ensure your systems have up-to-date anti-virus software. 4. Consider what business information you post on social media and networking sites, as scammers use publicly available information to target businesses. 5. Back up your data regularly and store your backups offsite and offine. The Australian Cyber Security Centre explains how your business can back up your data.

Stay ahead of scammers

Scams Awareness Week is helping to highlight common scams affecting small businesses and what you can do to reduce the risk to your business.

Visit the Scamwatch website to view a series of short educational videos, featuring simple and practical tips to help you identify and protect your business from scams.

Privacy obligations

Scammers can gain identity information by unlawfully accessing your records.

If your small business has privacy obligations, you must take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modifcation or disclosure. See the OAIC’s guide to securing personal information.

More details on protecting your small business are available on the Scamwatch website.

If you think you have been scammed, contact your bank or fnancial institution immediately.

If you have given personal information to a scammer, contact IDCARE on https:// www.idcare.org/