Digital Skills Organisation
The Digital Skills Organisation, otherwise known as DSO, is one of three Pilot Skills Organisations established by DESE as recommended by the Joyce Review into the Australian VET sector. The Pilot Skills Organisations were established to create greater alignment between industry and employers, and to provide an innovative approach to training graduates of the VET sector.
DSO was established as an incorporated entity in 2020, but it continues to be funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment through the Delivering Skills for Today and Tomorrow package.
contentgroup was initially engaged to draft a communication and stakeholder engagement strategy as well as a tone of voice for the nascent DSO. After the delivery of this piece of work, DSO continued to engage contentgroup through DESE. Our team of graphic designers worked on a compelling visual identity for the organisation, and a Senior Communication Strategist acted as a part-time Communication Manager for the organisation, co-ordinating all communication activities including a website build, copywriting and establishing initial communication products.
Services
- Communication strategy
- Graphic design
- Temporary staffing
Personnel
- Rachel Lobley – Senior Communication Strategist, Project Lead
- Bronwyn Shin – Senior Graphic Designer
- Emma Gray – Communication Strategist
Strategy and tone of voice
contentgroup produced a communication and stakeholder engagement strategy mapped tightly to the Direct to Citizen Communication and Engagement Framework. It was drafted in two sections – one focusing on the foundations of the organisation, and the other detailing a plan and recommendations to move forward.
The strategy included:
- Vision, mission, and objectives
- Risks and mitigations
- Communication benefits
- Governance framework
- Stakeholder analysis and mapping
- Key messages, channel planning, and recommendations for measurement.
The strategy was intended to provide long-term communication assets, as well as make recommendations for the immediate set-up of the organisation. The strategy will be used to brief the Executive team and map communication and marketing activity moving forward.
Since the organisation was newly-established, contentgroup also produced a tone of voice and brand personality document, laying out the identity and tone of the organisation moving forward. This tone of voice document was used to draft key messaging, and to guide the creation of a visual identity for the DSO.
Visual identity
Once the strategy and tone of voice were drafted, contentgroup’s team of graphic designers worked closely with the DSO Board to design a visual identity and logo for the brand. Two workshops were held to establish creative direction and select concepts from a range of mood boards and logo ideas. Once the final concept was chosen, the contentgroup design team put together a comprehensive style guide to ensure the brand could be effectively employed across a range of products.
Communication manager
A contentgroup Senior Strategist acted as an interim part-time Communication Manager for DSO. The work was extremely varied, and key responsibilities included but were not limited to:
- Co-ordination of website build with third-party supplier
- Copywriting, including all website copy
- Creation of preliminary communication products
- SEO recommendations
- Project management, including weekly meetings
