RMIT welcomes Minister of Industry and Advanced Manufacturing to announce Skills Solutions Partnerships

RMIT welcomes Minister of Industry and Advanced Manufacturing to announce Skills Solutions Partnerships

The University was pleased to welcome Victorian Government Minister of Industry and Advanced Manufacturing, and Minister for Creative Industries, the Hon. Colin Brooks MP, to its state-of-the-art Advanced Manufacturing Precinct this week.

The Minister visited RMIT University to announce the recipients of Round 2 of the Skills Solutions Partnerships (SSPs) program, with five projects awarded a total of $1.7 million in funding.

RMIT's successful project in the second round of SSP will see the University partner with Memko, Navantia, Leap Australia and Engineers Education Australia to develop four new micro-credentials in high-demand fields, including Model-Based Systems Engineering, Digital Mission Engineering, Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy, and Cybersecurity.

These microcredentials allow for significant capacity building for mid-career professionals, allowing Victoria – and Australia – to build a workforce that has the skills required to underpin Australia’s prosperity, capability and security in an age of rapid technological, economic and societal change.

04 March 2026

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The Hon. Colin Brooks MP. The Hon. Colin Brooks MP.

Building a tertiary system to uplift Australia’s sovereign capability

Since 2023, the Victorian Government’s SSP program has brought industry and tertiary sector training providers together to develop and deliver targeted training that builds skills, fosters innovation and creates more jobs in Victoria.

This initiative also aligns with The Australian Universities Accord, released by the Federal Government in early 2024, which called for significant reform of the tertiary education system to underpin a strong, equitable and resilient Australia, with a particular focus on building a workforce that underpins sovereign capability in a new era international interaction.

RMIT Vice-Chancellor Professor Alec Cameron said RMIT has been a longstanding advocate for a tertiary education system that aligns with the critical jobs and skills gaps of the time. 

“When faced with serious national issues like a productivity slowdown and skills shortages, universities must be at the forefront of finding the answers,” he said. 

“Today’s workforce priorities have shifted, and we need smart, innovative ideas to ensure we can keep pace.”

“Collaborative solutions, ranging from short courses like these SSPs, to on-the-job training like some of our bespoke ‘Earn and Learn’ models, can be custom-made to upskill for priority areas quickly.”

Professor Catherine Itsiopoulos, Deputy Vice-Chancellor STEM College at RMIT, said this SSP built on the success of RMIT’s successful Round One SSP. 

“We’ve already seen major successes in the first round of SSP, where we teamed up with Grampians Health and Cisco to deliver rapid training for medical and MedTech researchers to improve their commercialisation skills,” she said.

“Our deep expertise in digital health, social services and national security and resilience shows that we can support whole-of-industry workforce development initiatives that align with the strategic and economic needs of the state.”

Itsiopoulos said the partnership showcased how RMIT’s STEM Innovation Hubs could operate at the intersection of teaching, research and industry to deliver on national priorities. 

“This partnership will be delivered through our RMIT Security & Resilience Hub and is a shining example of what we can do at the nexus of teaching excellence, world-class research, and industry, coming together to shape the future of our country,” she said. 

 

Story: Finn Devlin

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04 March 2026

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