Jonathan Ladd - CEO, Datacom Group
Datacom has commenced work on plans to create a new IT hub in South Australia, as part of a $22 million investment announced more than a year ago.
As reported by ARN, the project involves refurbishment work at the TAFE SA site at Modbury, in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, and is expected to create hundreds of new jobs and training opportunities.
“Contractors working for Datacom have started work to convert an existing building on the TAFE SA premises to a contemporary training and customer care centre facility and IT hub,” Datacom Group CEO Jonathan Ladd said.
“We have been working closely with Investment Attraction South Australia, TAFE SA, Workskil, SYC and the South Australian Government to expand our operations in South Australia and are excited to move forward on this project.
“This IT Hub will facilitate future growth in the IT and services sector by providing additional customer service and IT expertise for Datacom clients across Australia.”
According to Ladd, the conversion will result in the creation of a contemporary 600-seat training and customer care centre facility, alongside an IT hub.
The site will be operational in February to begin service delivery to national clients, with Datacom aiming to have 250 to 300 people by the end of 2018.
Ladd stressed that the business was seeking talented expertise across a range of roles, including leadership positions, customer service representatives and specialist training providers.
“We need talented people in a range of roles, almost immediately,” he added. “We are currently advertising roles to be based at the Modbury site, including customer service representatives as well as specialist training and leadership roles.
“We aim to have the refurbishment work completed as quickly as possible so we can bring people in to the Datacom facility and start comprehensive training programmes in the new year.
“We would like to recognise the ongoing support we have received from Investment Attraction South Australia and thank them for working closely with us to bring this project to fruition. We are proud to be creating jobs and establishing customer care operations, training and an IT hub that can support clients across Australia.”
Backed by an expanding Australian footprint, Datacom already has a strong presence in South Australia, employing over 100 IT specialists in the company’s Adelaide office.
“The development of this additional facility strengthens our commitment to the community and our desire to create more jobs in South Australia,” Datacom director of South Australia Marcus Clements added.
“The refurbishment of the TAFE SA Modbury site will create a 600-seat facility. With the support of our training and employment partners it will provide work opportunities for many South Australians.”
The commencement of work in South Australia follows news that Greg Davidson will succeed Ladd as Datacom Group CEO from April 2018, as the technology provider embarks on a leadership change ahead of the new year.
Davidson, who is currently CEO of Datacom Systems New Zealand and Australia, joined business in 1997, first serving as general manager of Internet Services before rising through the leadership ranks.
