Digging deeper into impacts of industry - CQUniversity

The social and economic impacts of the Whitsunday region's biggest industries are being explored with the introduction of a new CQUniversity Senior Research Fellow, Dr Bingjie Song.

As a part of CQUniversity's and BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) collaborative research project 'Automation and Future Work Skills,' Dr Song is working with local communities to understand the effects of mining, agriculture, and services sectors.

Having completed her PhD in multifunctional agriculture, Dr Song brings a nuanced understanding of rural and regional development through previous research on how socio-economic contexts impact farmers.

"In addition to multifunctional agriculture, certain regions, particularly in Australia, are driven by the mining and agriculture industries," Dr Song said.

"These sectors are crucial to the Greater Whitsunday region and make substantial contributions to social values and the national economy.

"This, in turn, provides job opportunities and economic security for the workforce and regional communities."

Under the direction of CQUniversity's Associate Vice-President (North Queensland) and BMA Chair in Automation and Future Work Skills, Professor Rob Brown, Dr Song will examine skill gaps between industry requirements and the available workforce.

"It excites me to be involved in this impactful and significant project. I am committed to conducting research that can bring about positive changes in communities," Dr Song said.

"As a social sciences researcher, I intend to explore the intersection of technology, industry, and community.

"Understanding these dynamics will help to determine what skills are needed or anticipated in the future, as well as the availability of the current workforce within the local community."

Dr Song explained that these gaps and areas of development have occurred due to the increasing integration of digital technologies into manufacturing and other industrial processes.

"In the context of Industry 4.0, which refers to the fourth industrial revolution, involves utilising modern technologies, such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence," she said.

"During this transformation, new job positions are being created, however, it also brings challenges that reshapes existing jobs, as some jobs are being replaced by automation.

"We are currently developing a research topic to explore the new supply-demand dynamics brought about by this technological change."

Professor Brown said findings from Dr Song's research have the potential to influence educational outcomes for the future.

"Through this project model, we can establish the best practices and patterns for collaboration between industry, community, and university research," Professor Brown said.

"It has the potential to drive the development of new innovative training qualifications and courses at CQUniversity in automation and new workplace skills."

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