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Friday, 24 February 2023

21 February 2023: Manufacturing Innovation

Ai Group to breathe new life into digital transformation tool for SMEs

Ai Group has been selected as the ongoing custodian of futuremap® – a diagnostic platform developed by the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre to help SMEs embrace digital transformation. Over the past four years, futuremap® has helped more than 1000 manufacturers transform their digital operations, acting as a necessary catalyst to streamline current practices and encourage innovation – both of which are critical to business growth.

Find out more

21 February 2023: Energy markets

AEMO Electricity Update

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) Update released this week provided another warning as to the urgent need to get more electricity infrastructure in place over the next few years.

Read Ai Group's comment in full

24 February 2023: Australian Industry Index

An important new tool to measure your industry performance

Ai Group this month launched the new
Ai Group Australian Industry Index®, which provides a monthly summary of business conditions across Australia's industrial sector. The Index includes our historical products, the Australian PMI® and Australian PCI®, but combines them with the broader industrial ecosystem.

This new index covers 36% of the economy – manufacturing, construction, technology, utilities and industrial services, all in one place. We hope you find it useful to benchmark your business against activity in your industry, as well as seeing how your suppliers and customers are performing.

Most importantly, to be a part of the Ai Group Australian Industry Index®, contribute your feedback about current business conditions – it will take around two minutes of your time. Please complete our monthly survey by Tuesday 28th February 2023 to be included in the February report.

We appreciate your input to this research and advocacy for Australian businesses and hope you find the report useful for your business. The February report will be out Wednesday 1 March.

22 February 2023: Apprenticeships & Traineeships

Apprenticeship has 'changed my life'

Justin Backhouse, who left school in Year 11 to begin an apprenticeship in fitting and turning, now runs the tool room at 4x4 accessories manufacturer, ARB Corporation. He credits his apprenticeship with giving him him the skills and confidence to succeed in a leadership role – as well as enabling him to earn enough to go halves in a house with his mum at just 18, and inspiring him to further his learning at university.

Read our Blog post to find out more

1 March 2023: Ai Group Online Event

Information Session: Defence Industry Scholarships Program

Is your business looking to build relationships with universities so you can grow your high-skilled workforce? The Ai Group Centre for Education and Training is supporting companies in the South Australian and Victorian defence industries with programs that connect university students with your company to support unpaid internships and research projects. Join our free online information session for all the details.

Find out more and register now

9 March 2023: Ai Group CET Online Event

Plugging skills shortages through diversity

Diversity and inclusion is an essential strategy for many businesses looking to fill skills gaps. In this webinar we will speak with HR leaders from Ai Group member companies about skills challenges, their own diversity initiatives and the way these moves have helped with skill shortages. We will also hear about a government skills program which has seen a high percentage of diverse cohorts placed with businesses.

Find out more and register now

Funding to purchase energy efficient equipment upgrades for small and medium businesses

The Federal Government's Energy Efficiency Grants for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, the first round of which is set to open on 6 March, will support businesses to upgrade or replace inefficient equipment to improve their energy efficiency.

The grant opportunity provides SMEs (businesses with an employee headcount of 1 to 199 employees) with grants from $10,000 to $25,000 to cover up to 100% of eligible project expenditure.

For further details and to check your eligibility, visit business.gov.au

aigroup.com.au

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