DDLS, Australia’s largest provider of corporate IT and cybersecurity training, has named Sally McDonough as General Manager of its start-up company, the Australian Institute of ICT (AIICT). Operated by DDLS since 2019, AIICT aims to address the growing need for accredited IT skills in the Australian workforce.
McDonough will report to DDLS CEO, Jon Lang, who said her appointment signals a significant development for AIICT; “Sally will play a key role in activating our strategic plans, which are to grow and rapidly enhance the reputation of AIICT by expanding and developing comprehensive online offerings. She is an outstanding leader who brings great authenticity and values to the DDLS group. Her extensive and invaluable experience in the training sector, combined with her sales and leadership experience, makes her a natural fit for the role.”
“Our initial focus was to build out the AIICT team and product offerings with the support of existing DDLS functional leaders. We always planned to bring on a dedicated senior manager to lead the team and accelerate growth as the business scaled up. In line with our strong culture of diversity at DDLS, we are proud to have boosted female representation in our Leadership team with Sally’s appointment”, added Lang.
McDonough took on her new role in the first week of August. She was previously DDLS Queensland State Sales and Operations Manager, responsible for ensuring DDLS Queensland was the first choice for IT education in the state, and for helping business customers build tailored training solutions to fill technology skills gaps and improve their productivity and retention rates.
Prior to joining DDLS, McDonough worked at online training provider Upskilled for almost 10 years as the Business Development Manager, delivering a range of training solutions for businesses and individuals across a wide range of industries and specialities.
“I’m excited to join AIICT at a time of strong growth for the business. Upskilling has never been more important, especially in the area of technology, and AIICT is providing Australians with affordable, flexible access to the most in-demand and emerging skillsets as the IT industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace”, said McDonough.
Her appointment follows a number of key milestone achievements for AIICT in the last 12 months, including revenue growth of 571 per cent in the 20/21 Financial Year.
In the past 12 months, AIICT has launched a new Certified Project Management Professional course, to help aspiring project managers kickstart their careers, as well as eight other bootcamp courses in key emerging technology areas such as Cybersecurity, Data Science, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence and Web Development.
AIICT has also formed partnerships with some of most recognised and influential IT providers in Australia, to launch its updated Industry Partner Program. For AIICT students, the program offers a dedicated platform designed to help graduates find strong employment opportunities. For businesses, the platform assists hiring managers in locating motivated and highly qualified candidates who are actively looking for opportunities in the industry.
The program aims to tackle Australia’s crippling skills shortages in areas like cybersecurity and cloud computing, by making it easier for organisations to find the right skills they need.
