As school leavers prepare to receive their Year 12 results, students and parents both want to know the best career choices today, for the jobs of tomorrow.

When your dream job doesn’t exist yet, where do you start?

Health, Science & Education

In the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct we know that jobs in health will continue to grow rapidly (the Health Sector has grown by 28% in the last five years on the Gold Coast, faster than the Queensland rate of growth), while Professional Scientific and Technical Services jobs have increased by 24%.

Together with jobs in Education & Training, the three sectors now account for 26% of the workforce in a city traditionally known for an economy based on tourism, hospitality and construction.

Positions Vacant

Three weeks out from Christmas some of the positions vacant at Griffith University, Gold Coast University Hospital and Gold Coast Private Hospital provide an exciting snapshot of what’s ahead in 2019 and beyond the horizon.*

The University is currently recruiting for a Professor in Mechanical Engineering (Additive Manufacturing) – an important position as Griffith embarks on developing its Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies Centre (ADaPT) in the GCHKP.

ADaPT brings together multi-disciplinary expertise across the university in collaboration with leading industry partners to push the boundaries in advanced design, prototyping and new materials, in what is called the ‘next industrial revolution’ or Industry 4.0.

Griffith is also recruiting for a Professor in Prevention Science – an emerging area within the field of criminology that will strengthen the university’s reputation as a leading school of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Professional positions vacant include an Information and Interaction Designer in the IT department – required as digital learning increases exponentially and students seek enhanced user experiences, and a Lab Manager, Social Analytics Lab – responsible for providing high-level security of data in the specialised criminology laboratory. Both positions offer attractive six figure salary packages.

Two PhD scholarships are also being offered – in Hydrogen Energy Technology and Hydrogen Export, as the university continues to build its reputation for research and development in the rapidly growing field of clean energy and environmental solutions.

At Gold Coast University Hospital, positions vacant include a Lead Podiatrist, Senior Radiographer and a number of positions for Advanced Sonographers specialising in Maternal Fetal Medicine – as technology becomes more advanced so too do the amazing procedures that can be done to save or protect babies in-utero. Again all positions offer six figure salaries.

As the city’s largest employer, Gold Coast Health boasts almost 10,000 staff, including more than 6,700 in clinical roles.

At Gold Coast Private Hospital a job as an Anaesthetic Technician calls for a diploma qualification in paramedical science of anaesthesia – increasingly specialised skills are now being sought at a range of levels.

New Qualifications

Griffith’s new degrees are a strong indication of where the workforce is headed. In the School of Information Technology a new Bachelor of Intelligent Digital Technologies is on offer (artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual reality, Internet of Things) while a range of post-graduate qualifications in Cyber Security are needed for jobs in our advancing digital era.

A new Bachelor of Data Science can be combined with studies in Science and Environmental Science as data analytics skills are in hot demand across many professions, including business and health. Griffith is the first university in South East Queensland to offer data science as an undergraduate degree.

Creative Arts offerings are also on the rise in line with the growth of the cultural industry on the Gold Coast.

Five Jobs of the Future to consider

1. Information Technology – from machine learning engineers to user experience (UX) designers, network and security analysts, software and application developers and specialised programmers, IT careers are a certainty.
2. Data Science – as a specialised field with very broad application, data scientists will command high six and even seven figure salaries in the future for those who enjoy crunching numbers. And they’ll help the world deal with big challenges like climate change.
3. Allied Health – as the healthcare focus moves increasingly towards prevention, integration and personalisation, allied healthcare specialists from occupational therapists to nutritionists and podiatrists and many more, will be in demand to reduce acute hospital care (and cut costs) and help people age well through a holistic health approach. As technology advances, people will want (and need) the human touch.
4. Biomedical Scientists/Engineers – medicine will become more personalised thanks to technology and intelligent design. Think medical implants and devices, wearable health technologies and precision diagnostics and drug delivery.
5. Freelancers, entrepreneurs and change managers – skills to be able to operate independently and successfully in a digital world will be in demand across many fields and as more people work remotely, communication, collaboration and networking skills will be even more crucial. On the flip-side, if you’re a people-person you’re likely to be needed in change and innovation management roles in larger companies as digital disruption rolls on.

For a global perspective see the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report.

*Applications may not be open at time of publication