State government to help students and educators enter STEM pathways – hoping to expand defence industry workforce

The state government has unveiled new plans to recruit tens of thousands of students and educators into STEM pathways, aiming to expand the defence industry workforce.

Clare Armstrong

@ByClare

2 min read

November 10, 2023 - 10:03AM

The state government has unveiled new plans to recruit tens of thousands of students and educators into STEM pathways. Picture: Supplied

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‘Not all veterans are broken’: Push to fill the defence gap

Tens of thousands of South Australian school students, TAFE trainees and teachers will be recruited into science, technology, engineering and maths education pathways under a plan to make the state a defence industry powerhouse.

The aim is to grow the SA defence industry workforce from 3,500 to more than 8,500 by the 2040s – with a broad suite of measures to attract people into the sector, from primary and high school through to vocational training, university and mid-career transition programs.

Defence Minister Richard Marles and Premier Peter Malinauskas unveiled the South Australian Defence Industry Workforce and Skills Report and Action Plan in Adelaide on Friday morning, outlining the decades-long plan to equip the state to fill the jobs required to deliver and maintain a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

The plan includes engaging about 27,000 students and 1500 teachers in at least 180 SA schools to support STEM education pathways, as well as developing a pipeline of about 2600 additional VET and university students through new flexible training programs.

Defence Minister Richard Marles and Premier Peter Malinauskas have unveiled the South Australian Defence Industry Workforce and Skills Report and Action Plan in Adelaide on Friday. Picture: Supplied

“To succeed in delivering SSN-AUKUS, continuous naval shipbuilding and sustainment, and our other defence projects, South Australia will need to grow the capacity and capability of the industrial base,” the report said.

“A comprehensive and integrated approach is required to upskill and retain our existing workforce while growing the pipeline across the learning journey – from primary school through to mid-career transitions.”

From this year more than 70 young Australians will join an Early Careers Program in an effort to steer people into the sector, with other opportunities to be promoted widely to attract the best candidates for jobs.

The government has committed to build the new SSN-AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine fleet in SA, with the first vessel to enter service around 2040.

In the interim Australia will purchase three to five US-made Virginia-class vessels from 2032.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the report presented a “comprehensive and methodical plan” to grow, build and sustain the South Australian defence industry workforce.

“(SA) … is critical to the delivery of SSN-AUKUS, continuous naval shipbuilding and our other defence projects,” he said.

The state government hopes to recruit tens of thousands of school students and educators into STEM pathways under a plan to make the state a defence industry powerhouse. Picture: Supplied

“Some initiatives will leverage and expand on existing programs, building on substantial work already underway across government, defence industry, education and VET sectors.

“Other initiatives are new, to help address identified skills gaps.”

Mr Malinauskas said SA would play a “leading role” in expanding Australia’s industrial base by building the “most complex machines in the world”.

“Our critical national defence projects, inducing nuclear-powered submarines, will be delivered with the strength of a highly educated, highly trained workforce with the cutting edge skills and capabilities of the future,” he said.

“The challenge to grow and sustain a highly skilled defence industry workforce cannot be understated, but neither can the opportunity.”

Mr Malinauskas said the SA defence industry workforce and skills task force had enabled the state and federal governments to work together toward an “agile and highly-skilled” local workforce needed for defence projects.