Climb aboard a sub or frigate: All aboard for Navy and Shipbuilding Careers Expo

Peter Malinauskas MP
Premier

Susan Close MP
Deputy Premier
Minister for Defence and Space Industries
Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science

South Australians are invited to step aboard two Royal Australian Navy vessels visiting Adelaide and experience first-hand what a career in the naval shipbuilding industry or Navy can offer at a public open day to be held at Outer Harbor in November.

The State Government, in partnership with the Royal Australian Navy, will host a Navy and Shipbuilding Careers Expo at Flinders Ports. South Australians will be able to secure their spot to tour a ship and submarine while they visit.

In addition to having an opportunity to tour both the Anzac Class frigate and Collins Class Submarine, visitors will also learn more about the jobs and careers that are available now and in the future within both Defence and the state’s burgeoning naval shipbuilding industry.

South Australia is spearheading the largest, most complex naval shipbuilding and Defence projects in our nation’s history and visitors to the Expo will learn about the significance of these major projects and understand what pathways are available to establish a career in the sector.

With more than 10,000 jobs expected to be created in South Australia over the next two decades, young people are being encouraged to explore defence industry careers and engage with science, technology, engineering, and maths during schooling and further education.

These foundational skills will provide the platform to launch an exciting lifelong career across a broad range of high paying jobs with organisations looking to employ engineers, scientists, technicians, project managers, tradespeople, ICT professionals, administrators and more.

Representatives from some of the world’s largest defence industry organisations and tertiary education institutions will be present at the Expo to educate visitors on the opportunities available within the state for generations to come as well as highlighting study pathways.

ADF Careers will also be present at the Expo, sharing information about the lifestyle, benefits, travel opportunities, training and specific roles the Australian Defence Force has to offer.

The South Australian Government is committed to growing the skills and capabilities of our defence industry to meet future Defence requirements and showcasing jobs and career pathways is an important part of addressing this challenge.

Navy and Shipbuilding Careers Expo, 3-5 November 2023

Friday 3 November Student Day: This dedicated day for schools will provide the opportunity for school aged children the opportunity to visit the expo and tour the vessels.
Saturday 4 November Navy Candidate Day: This invite only day is dedicated to registered candidates for the Royal Australian Navy.
Sunday 5 November Public Open Day: Everyone is invited to register to attend the careers expo to experience jobs of the future up close and learn more from defence industry and education providers. Tours of the ship and submarine can be booked upon arrival at the event however are capacity limited and not guaranteed. Visitors can also enjoy food trucks and be entertained by the Royal Australian Navy band.

Registrations for the event on Sunday 5 November are essential, register online at https://bit.ly/adfcareers

Free public transport is available for attendees on presentation of their registration details.

Quotes attributable to Peter Malinauskas:

South Australia’s focus is firmly set on uplifting the capability and capacity of our industrial base to support Defence capability and deliver the most complex naval shipbuilding and Defence projects in history.

To do that, we’re going to need people. Highly skilled workers.

To develop them – we need young people to fully understand the opportunities and pathways available to them to find a secure, well paying, interesting job for life.

I encourage every young person who can to take the opportunity to visit the expo – where they will have the opportunity to see first-hand what these jobs will look like, ask questions, and climb aboard a ship or submarine.

Quotes attributable to Susan Close:

South Australia is home to a pipeline of major Defence projects, with thousands of jobs available for decades to come across naval shipbuilding and other thriving areas such as information warfare and aerospace.

Ensuring we have the workforce in place to complete these projects as well as future opportunities is our number one priority, and the work has already begun on delivering tailored, world-class education and training programs and facilities state-wide.

We encourage South Australians of all ages to take the opportunity to visit the expo to explore careers in the shipbuilding industry, and witness the impressive, high-tech vessels they could one day be a part of creating.

I get excited about working in the space industry because putting something into space is so difficult. I love the idea of the challenge, that it requires a huge amount of work from so many talented people in a variety of fields all working together to make a project come to fruition.

James, Mechanical & Thermal Engineer, Neumann Space

I love that I’m able to work with others to solve problems that have an impact and make a difference every day while still being able to learn new things.

Georgia, Systems Engineer, BAE Systems Australia

It was exciting moving back to South Australia not only because it’s where I’m from, but because of the emerging space industry. I wanted to help build the space industry in Australia from the ground up, rather than work overseas in an industry that’s already established.

Farisha, Avionics Engineer, Southern Launch

There’s such a variety of opportunities in the defence industry and I’m really excited about the prospect of working on innovative and cutting-edge projects. I have some of the greatest minds around me and these people support me in my growth and development as an engineer.

Jessica, Hardware Engineer, Lockheed Martin Australia

Whilst a larger number of roles in the space industry are in engineering, there are lots of other ways to be involved. Space companies, like ours, still need accountants, lawyers and people in communications and marketing.

Ben, Chief Operating Officer, Inovor Technologies

The best thing about leading a company in South Australia’s defence industry is shining a light on the local skills, talent, and innovation that exists right here, in our own backyard.

Simon, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Silentium Defence

I’m excited for the opportunity to work on massive projects that have a real impact on the future of our Defence Force and the nation’s protection and security.

Jeff, Systems Engineer, Nova Systems

There are a number of projects within South Australia which you can spend your entire career working on and still enjoy what you do.

Dhiren, Commercial Manager, PMB Defence

There’s a misconception that the defence industry is very serious, but the experience I’ve had is that we are a very creative and collaborative group of individuals working towards a common goal.

Jamila, Project Manager, ASC Shipbuilding

This sector is growing fast, which means there are always new and exciting projects on the horizon.

Andrew, General Manager, Precise Manufacturing

If there is something that you want to do, and you want to give back to defence, there is definitely a job out there for you.

Zac, Support Technician, Silentium Defence

What I love most about my job is being able to solve the problems that really matter, knowing that my work contributes to Australia’s national security and economic growth.

Trent, Senior Systems Engineer, Nova Systems

You don’t need to be in the armed forces or necessarily have experience in the defence industry in order to be successful and have a rewarding career. The industry is growing, well-funded and rampant with opportunity…I can’t see myself moving on anytime soon.

Rozanne, Senior Financial Accountant, PMB Defence

A lot of people study engineering and do very little engineering in their day to day role. I wanted to be doing calculations and getting my hands dirty in a work shop. I also wanted to be working at the forefront of technology development. This made defence the obvious choice.

Seth, Mechanical Engineer, PMB Defence

I love the culture of our company and the tech we get to work with. The defence industry as a whole has so much to offer in terms of ground breaking technology. We get to develop really cool products and go out in the field testing them. It’s a really interesting industry with so many different aspects that can be worked on.

Christian, Graduate Software Engineer, Silentium Defence

People should definitely consider a career in the defence industry, it takes all types to do the work that we do and there’s lots of opportunities for growth. Adelaide is not only a really nice place to live it’s a really fantastic place to work especially if you are in the defence industry.

Kyal, Digital Specialist, BAE Systems ASC Shipbuilding

Climb aboard a sub or frigate: All aboard for Navy and Shipbuilding Careers Expo

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