Nuclear courses will be delivered at Flinders University, ahead of AUKUS submarine construction

World-leading nuclear education programs will be delivered at Flinders University under deals unveiled in London by Premier Peter Malinauskas.

World-leading nuclear education will be delivered at Flinders University as early as next year, under deals struck with pre-eminent UK and US institutions ahead of AUKUS submarine construction.

In agreements to be announced in London by Premier Peter Malinauskas, Flinders will partner with Manchester and Rhode Island universities to deliver specialist skills needed for the Adelaide-based nuclear-powered submarine project.

Mr Malinauskas told a London meeting he was “alarmed” by the scale of the task to deliver enough skilled workers for the program, which has been forecast to create 5500 direct jobs at its peak in 20 to 30 years.

Flinders will deliver Manchester’s nuclear masters programs and doctoral-level research training, while the Rhode Island partnership will include collaborative research, internships and jointly hosted seminars.

Manchester is the lead university in the UK’s Nuclear Technology Education Consortium, while Rhode Island has strong ties to US submarine manufacturers and is known for a university-industry partnership collaborating with the US Navy.

Premier Peter Malinauskas at BAE Systems Submarines Academy for Skills and Knowledge at Barrow-in-Furness, United Kingdom. Picture: BAE SYSTEMS,

Mr Malinauskas, who on Thursday visited the vast BAE Systems Barrow nuclear submarine yard in the UK’s northwest, said this had illustrated the “massive depth and breadth of skills that are going to be required to build the most complex machines in history”.

“There’s no time to waste. We’ve already agreed to partner with the Commonwealth to deliver a skills academy, and an additional 800 university places over the next four years,” he said.

“The partnerships between Flinders, Manchester and Rhode Island universities will see hundreds of South Australians beginning to learn the skills required to operate nuclear-powered submarines.”

Flinders University president and vice-chancellor Colin Stirling said the historic partnerships would bring the world’s best nuclear education and research programs to Adelaide.

“Our partnerships with international leaders in nuclear science and technology will deliver a new level of skills for South Australia’s future workforce,” he said.

Flinders University will partner with Manchester and Rhode Island universities to deliver specialist skills needed for the Adelaide-based nuclear-powered submarine project

University of Manchester president and vice-chancellor, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, and University of Rhode Island president Marc Parlange also welcomed the agreements.

Addressing a South Australia Club International breakfast at London’s Army & Navy Club on Pall Mall, Mr Malinauskas confessed his Thursday visit to the Barrow shipyard had “alarmed” him about the long-term task of developing a skilled workforce for Adelaide construction of the AUKUS boats.

“The truth be told, we have a big job to do, from a South Australian context. We have industry and skills that have participated in naval shipbuilding for a sustained period, including building and maintaining submarines, that gives us a start, but it is literally only that,” he said.

”The level of complexity to build a nuclear submarine productively and efficiently, we‘ve got a long way to go to develop the workforce that is required.

“People look at the AUKUS announcement and think: ‘Oh, it‘s got long lead times’. In actual fact, my visit there yesterday, alarmed me about just how ambitious our timeline is to achieve this national endeavour.”

Australians would be at BAE Systems’ Barrow shipyard within a year, learning skills at the academy Mr Malinauskas toured.