A vision for success in the digital era

26 October 2023

Monash Business School alum and Oracle Solutions Consultant Kaushika Jayalath is helping guide undergraduates towards a tech-powered future.

Australia’s ever-widening digital skills gap is a challenge that echoes across all industries.

According to a recent federal government report, a staggering 87 per cent of jobs in every sector now call for technological literacy.

The findings point to a critical need for graduates to be better equipped to meet these evolving digital demands.

Drawn to the dynamic intersection between technology and accounting, Monash Business School alum Kaushika Jayalath has positioned himself at the forefront of this phenomenon.

“The introduction of generative AI and the evolution of cloud computing – I’m fascinated by how these things are going to change the profession,” he said.

Now an Enterprise Solutions Consultant at Oracle Corporation, specialising in higher education, Mr Jayalath helps businesses implement technology to drive finance transformation and sustainable change management.

He said as businesses continue to grapple with the evolution of technology, demand for professionals with digital know-how has never been higher.

“Employers increasingly want candidates who not only have the digital skills to succeed in their role today, but the growth mindset to take advantage of the emerging technologies of tomorrow,” he said.

An alliance for tomorrow

In May 2023, Mr Jayalath spearheaded a partnership between Monash Business School and Oracle to give students the skills they need for the workplaces of tomorrow.

The hands-on learning program offers undergraduate students access to industry-leading online courses and micro-credentials, with a spotlight on practical business process training in cloud-driven SaaS applications.

“The primary goal of this initiative is to marry the knowledge that students learn at university with business processes and cloud applications they will be expected to use in the real world as a professional,” Mr Jayalath said.

“Students will be awarded with digital badging and certification that can be shared on resumes and social media platforms such as LinkedIn, enabling them to stand out from the crowd.”

Monash is the first Australian university to adopt the offering.

Mr Jayalath described it as his “passion project”.

“Future-proofing is definitely the most satisfying part of my job – future-proofing businesses, and now with this partnership between Oracle and Monash, helping to future-proof students,” he said.

“By that, I mean giving them the digital skills they need to be ready for a workforce that requires technical skills.

“I feel privileged to be in a position to help them increase their employability.”

“Future-proofing is definitely the most satisfying part of my job – future-proofing businesses, and now with this partnership between Oracle and Monash, helping to future-proof students”

Expanding horizons

Mr Jayalath said since rolling out the pilot program in April 2023, the response had been overwhelmingly positive.

“It’s still in its early stages, but the feedback so far has been really good,” he said.

Claudia Vella, a fourth-year Bachelor of International Relations and Bachelor of Human Resource Management student, said the program had been extremely beneficial.

“Before this experience, I had not used business platforms in my degree,” she said.

“This is something that I found was lacking and I was really privileged to be able to have this experience and do so.”

She said she believed learning digital skills was vital to remaining competitive in the industry.

“Especially as a graduate applying for jobs and not having experience, or having limited experience that’s applicable to the workplace,” she said.

“Having these digital skills allows you to go in more confident and have something backing you.”

Mr Jayalath said the next step was to expand the program across more accounting subjects.

“Monash is also exploring how it can be applied to human resources and marketing students,” he said.

A training ground for success

Reflecting on his time at Monash Business School, Mr Jayalath underscored the university's role as a training ground for real-world success.

He said his advice to students was to seize every opportunity. “Engage with people outside your circle, join clubs and societies, participate in networking events, speak to professionals and learn about the professional world – that will all play a very important role in preparing you once you have graduated,” he said.

As an active member of the Monash Business School industry mentoring program, he has made it his mission to help students make the most of their university experience.

“It’s something I would have loved to have taken part in as a student, so I’m making a point to be involved in the program so I can give that to other students,” he said.

“A lot of international students miss out on opportunities because they don’t engage enough during their university years - I want to help them pave the way for themselves before it’s too late.”