Defence industry rallies in defence of sidelined skilled workers

The defence industry is turning to sidelined Qantas and Virgin workers and former Holden employees to meet skill shortages.

Stood-down Qantas worker Clarence Ong. Picture: Tony McDonough

The defence industry is turning to sidelined Qantas and Virgin workers and former Holden employees to meet skill shortages as the Morrison government pushes ahead with a $200bn hardware acquisition plan.

Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price has directed her department and the government’s Naval Shipbuilding College to consult with the companies to identify workers who could shift to defence jobs. US-owned Northrop Grumman Australia already has employed 50 former airline engineers and technicians; another 20 have been employed by other defence businesses.

British defence giant BAE Systems recently added 30 former Holden employees to its workforce, including 18 apprentices.

Luerssen Australia, which is building 12 offshore patrol vessels for the navy, has sought expressions of interest from the airlines to fill a growing number of jobs.

Stood-down Qantas worker Clarence Ong, 31, secured a job as a document control administrator with the shipbuilder after COVID-19 grounded domestic flights.

The customer service manager was employed by Luerssen on an eight-week trial but the position has been extended until the end of the year.

Mr Ong manages sensitive documentation for the OPVs, ensuring contractors have the information they need. “It’s great being able to be of value to the country and not just sit around and do nothing,” he said.

“You never know where things will lead. I stumbled into the airline industry; I come from an HR background and worked in gyms, and now I’m in shipbuilding.”

Ms Price said the defence sector could absorb many workers ­affected by stand-downs and the demise of the car industry. “Advanced manufacturing companies in our defence industry right across Australia are looking for highly skilled workers with manufacturing experience,” she said.

“Seeing the direct partnerships … formed with companies like Holden and Qantas gives me hope that there may be an upside to this pandemic for our defence ­industry.”

The Naval Shipbuilding College in Adelaide, which worked with Holden when it announced the closure of its operations in February, is working through a flood of applications.