Charting a new course in his career journey, Kosta was eager to make his mark in an industry set for strong growth and filled with meaningful work. This led him to a new career in the defence industry. Having moved back to South Australia after working in the United Arab Emirates for a government agency headed by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi as a town planner, Kosta was looking for a career with the same level of excitement and [...]
A successful South Australian business specialising in project management for the defence industry is now creating pathways for young First Nations Peoples to forge a career in the sector. One of only a few First Nations businesses in the state’s defence industry, Yanun specialises in project management, schedule and planning support and project controls services. Since establishing in 2019, the business has grown, now employing seven people including a number of Aboriginal trainees, and is highly sought-after for its services [...]
Off the back of a successful trial in 2021, BAE Systems Australia has announced 10 internships are on offer within the national company through the STEM Returners Australia program. STEM Returners targets candidates with science, technology, engineering and maths skills who have had an extended career break or who may be keen to move from another sector into defence and matches them to paid career opportunities. BAE Systems Australia was the first defence company to partner with STEM Returners last [...]
Growing up, naval shipbuilding apprentice Rebecca was surrounded by family in the Defence Force. “My parents, grandfather and older brother – they were all in the Army,” she says. “I didn’t really want to go down the Army route, but I still wanted to stay in defence.” With a love of building and hands-on subjects including metalwork and outdoor education, Rebecca knew from an early age that a trade could be for her. During high school in 2021, Rebecca [...]
South Australian apprentices have the opportunity to kick start their career in naval shipbuilding, with Australia’s largest defence shipbuilding organisation ASC currently recruiting new talent to join the ranks. Applications are now open for the shipbuilder’s annual apprentice intake, with positions available for more than 25 apprenticeship positions in trades including metal fabrication, electrical and mechanical engineering. The successful recruits will be employed at ASC’s sites in Adelaide and Henderson in WA, and build their skills for upcoming submarine programs. [...]
Leading defence and aviation business, Babcock Australasia, is calling for applications for the next intake of its Graduate Program, with positions available across a wide range of fields. The two-year program offers participants the opportunity to apply their technical skills and training in a practical environment, alongside an established team of industry professionals. Positions are available for people who have studied Naval Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics and Electronics. The program isn’t limited to STEM graduates though, with roles [...]
South Australia’s defence and space industries are growing at the speed of light, creating a universe of career opportunities for today’s emerging workforce. In the coming years, South Australia will be home to a number of major naval shipbuilding projects, creating up to 5000 jobs by 2030, along with thousands of jobs across defence delivering world-class cyber and systems solutions as well as intelligence including surveillance, reconnaissance and electronic warfare capabilities. From project management, combat systems engineering, contracts management, Information [...]
The latest apprentice and trainee data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) shows a strong increase in the number of defence sector apprentices and trainees in South Australia over the last 12 months. As at 30 September 2021, there were 5,360 apprentices and trainees in-training in trades relevant to the defence sector – an increase of 28.5% from the previous year’s figures. In addition, apprenticeship completions in the same period almost doubled from 510 to 1,015. As [...]
BAE Systems Maritime Australia has partnered with Careers Centre Alliance to manage recruitment for the Hunter class frigate program being designed and built at Osborne Naval Shipyard. A partnership between the Indigenous Defence Infrastructure Consortium and Randstad Australia, the Careers Centre Alliance will utilise existing systems and talent pools to deliver an end-to-end recruitment solution for BAE Systems. Over the next five years, up to 900 trade and production workers will be required for the prototyping and construction of the nine anti-submarine warfare [...]
South Australian systems engineer Georgia never considered working in the defence industry, but after starting her career journey with one of the state’s largest defence companies she has never looked back. After completing an electrical and electronic engineering degree at the University of Adelaide, the 25-year-old undertook a graduate program with South Australian-based engineering and technology company Nova Systems. Now, she’s taken the next step in her defence industry career, joining BAE Systems Australia’s Edinburgh headquarters as a systems engineer. [...]
Four South Australians are among the latest cohort of graduates to join global defence company Nova Systems and gain the vital skills and experience needed to pursue a career in the defence industry. The South Australian-based company, which focuses on providing engineering and technology solutions for Defence and other sectors, recently on-boarded 34 new graduates nationally as part of its award-winning graduate program. The graduates come from diverse backgrounds in integrated logistics support, engineering, project management and finance, and will [...]
South Australian university students have the opportunity to kick-start their careers in the defence industry, with BAE Systems Australia launching their graduate recruitment drive for 2023. Recently welcoming 58 graduates to its national defence and security business, BAE Systems Australia now has 90 positions available across a wide range of fields, including engineering, project management, finance, human resources and commercial. The graduate program offers tailored training and mentoring, flexible work practices and the opportunity to collaborate and network with other graduates across [...]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
There are a number of projects within South Australia which you can spend your entire career working on and still enjoy what you do.
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.
This sector is growing fast, which means there are always new and exciting projects on the horizon.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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