Boost for South Australia’s future defence and space workforce

South Australia’s defence and space industries are set to benefit from a significant investment in STEM education, with new funding to strengthen career pathways for students.

The Australian Government has announced more than $11 million in grants across the country through the Schools Pathways Program, supporting initiatives that will give more young South Australians the opportunity to explore careers in the defence and space industries.

Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery, the Hon Pat Conroy MP, said the investment is critical to building the future defence workforce.

“The Schools Pathways Program and our partnerships with industry and the education sector are key to ensuring our students are equipped with the skills needed for the advanced and high-tech jobs of tomorrow,” Minister Conroy said.

Several initiatives will directly benefit South Australian students, including:

$1.9 million to With You With Me for the Defence Industry Pathways Program, which will engage with millions of students, parents, teachers and community members across the country, including providing 3,300 students access to information sessions, skill-mapping and mentoring in relation to defence industry careers.
$1.7 million to Australian Remote Operations for Space and Earth Ltd for the AVISTA program that will reach 200 schools, and engage students, teachers, and parents across Australia through hands-on STEM activities, virtual reality experiences, and defence career summits.
$397,493 to MEGT Australia to support school-based apprenticeships and traineeships in naval shipbuilding and the broader defence industry in Adelaide and Perth.
$536,243 to Technology for Education Solutions for its Beacon Pathways program, helping SA students develop practical STEM skills through virtual reality (VR), 3D modelling and coding.
$1.6 million to Fleet Space Technologies for the LaunchBox program, which will provide teacher-led classroom lessons and works with students to build and launch an educational satellite.

“Through hands-on experiences, kids learn to construct 3D nanosatellites, launch them into the stratosphere using balloons, and retrieve the image(s) for review,” Fleet Space Technologies spokesperson said.

By fostering collaboration between schools, industry and training providers, these grants will play a crucial role in developing a pipeline of skilled workers. They will encourage greater engagement with STEM subjects and expand opportunities for students to transition from school into rewarding careers in defence and space.

Now is the perfect time to Find Your Place in South Australia’s defence and space industries. Be part of something bigger and help shape the future. Explore FindYourPlaceSA.com to discover career opportunities in these thriving sectors.

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

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