Sunshine Coast — Future proofing our workforce

Executive Summary

Change is the only constant in life. One’s ability to adapt to those changes will determine your success in life.

- Benjamin Franklin

We currently live in a world that is experiencing changes at an unprecedented rate, where predicting outcomes has become more uncertain than ever. The forces of change that predominantly stem from the massive advances in science and technology now make it possible for innovative startups like Twitter, Instagram, Uber, and Airbnb launch and become a global service almost overnight.

There are many examples of the types of technology advances that are changing the way services and products are delivered. These include the increased computing power of mobile devices or smartphones, the lower cost of high speed networks, the falling costs of computing resources available via cloud computing, low barriers of entry into manufacturing with 3D printing, the availability and accessibility to create interfaces to services via voice, virtual and augmented reality, the advances of micro machines, sensors and low power computing the Internet of Things — (IoT) and probably most importantly the automation of manual or routine tasks through robotic process automation(RPA) and advanced decision systems based on artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms.

It is the combination of these advances in science and technology,as well as the speed at which these advances are occurring,that is…