Igniting a passion for tech

Small business digital boost

It’s not just students benefiting from CommBank’s community skilling initiatives, small businesses are too.

CommBank has partnered with Telstra and the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) to create Cyber Wardens, a simple educational tool designed to build a cyber-smart small business workforce. Launched in September last year, Kathryn sees it as an opportunity to galvanise the growing number of women in small business by educating them on how to protect their businesses from cyber threats. 

“We know that in Australia, we’ve got more than 2 million small businesses and a third of those are run by women,” Kathryn says. “In the time between 2006 and 2021, the number of female small business owners increased by 24 per cent and is continuing to grow. By helping them with things like cyber-prevention skills they can then scale up and focus on the key elements of the business that they’re trying to run, versus trying to protect themselves against evolving cyber threats.”

Reimagining a bright future

The career possibilities within tech are booming with digital skilling becoming deeply embedded into all facets of the economy.

“At CommBank, technology is central to everything we do for our customers. It’s a vibrant environment where our technologists can make a real impact and reimagine banking for our customers – while growing their career in a dynamic industry,” says Jane.

Work continues to uplift the nation’s digital skills, yet CommBank is starting to see encouraging signs, recently welcoming the biggest graduate intake across the bank into its technology team, with 206 new graduates joining across the in-demand fields of data, AI, cyber and engineering. Of these, 34 per cent were women, with an aim to keep raising this number and promising indicators for the 2025 graduate intake.

Some of the other ways the bank is reducing traditional barriers to getting into tech include a Technology Associates Program that provides an alternative entry pathway for tech students and people without formal qualifications who demonstrate aptitude in the area.

A Career Transition Program is offered for early career professional workers that want to reskill into tech, and Career Comeback provides a supportive and flexible option for new mothers returning to work after an extended absence.

“As the skills landscape evolves, we continue to review our community skilling initiatives to ensure we are investing in the areas that best meet the community’s needs to build a brighter future for all,” says Jane.

CommBank is proud to be the presenting partner for Vogue Codes 2024, demonstrating our commitment to promoting gender diversity and inclusion in STEM and encouraging more women to consider a career in tech.

To learn more about technology careers at CommBank, please go to: commbank.com.au/about-us/careers/technology