ASC is ramping up its Western Australian workforce as part of a national effort to support Australia’s future nuclear-powered submarine capability. The expansion is driven by the growing demand for submarine sustainment services, including work on visiting US and UK submarines under the Submarine Rotational Force – West (SRF-W) program, and the eventual maintenance of Australia’s own Virginia Class and SSN-AUKUS submarines.
The Federal Government’s “Jobs for Subs” initiative is also injecting around 200 new entry-level roles into ASC’s WA operations over two years, focusing on high-priority trades such as fabrication, machining, and engineering. This workforce surge reflects ASC’s pivotal role as Australia’s Sovereign Submarine Partner and underscores the scale of the AUKUS-driven transformation underway in Western Australia’s defence industry.
An additional 250 people in WA – more than one person per day – are expected to join by to June 2026 according to current demand forecast:
- 10 per cent needed to support maintenance of the Collins Class submarines
- 10 per cent needed to support establishment of the Nuclear-Capable Drydock
- 80 per cent needed to support sustainment of the US-built Virginia Class submarines
Of the 250 new roles, the breakdown of the roles we need to fill:
- Corporate support: People and culture professionals, analysts, IT specialists
- Submarine platform training instructors: Submarine Training School personnel
- Engineering: Test engineers, and configuration change management engineers
- Supply chain: Procurement and inventory specialists
- Operations: Planning specialists
- Program management: Project and program managers, project engineers, and administrative support.
In 2025, ASC would have welcomed more than 70 early careers employees in WA – including 40 graduates, 13 undergraduates, and 21 apprentices.
In 2026, ASC will welcome at least 65 early careers employees in WA, including:
- 11 apprentices, specifically fabrication, mechanical, electrical and machining apprentices
- 33 graduates, in the fields of engineering, project management, supply chain, people and culture, and safety, risk and finance
- 11 trainees, specifically engineering, planning, security and safety trainees
- 10 undergraduates in engineering
By 2030, more than 700 new roles will join the Western Australian workforce on current estimates. By 2037, ASC’s workforce is estimated to reach nearly 3,000 people employed in WA, including more than 2,000 new roles. That total workforce figures includes employees working on the Collins Class submarines and the Virginia Class submarines.
Over the longer term, the breakdown of the available roles will include:
- Engineering: Mechanical engineering, safety and certification, electrical engineering, engineering management
- Operations: Electrical operations, mechanical operations, operators, operations support, piping operations, nuclear operations, light fabrication, welding operations
- Program management: Project management, project cost, scheduling and estimating
- Supply chain: Warehousing and logistics, purchasing and subcontracts, AIC industrialisation, inventory
- Support: Security, human resources, IT, work health, safety and environment, training services.
ASC’s recruitment campaign in WA commenced in July 2025. That month, ASC recorded the highest ever website traffic, and a record monthly number of job applications.
ASC Chief Capability Officer Danielle Bull said Western Australia plays a pivotal role in Australia’s national defence capability. “We know that around 70% of our future workforce will need to be developed internally, so we have an enormous focus on developing and expanding our apprenticeship, graduate and traineeship programs,” Danielle said. “Whether you’re an aspiring or emerging engineer, technician, trades specialist or support professional, that represents an incredible opportunity for you to pursue your goals – and contribute to Australia’s sovereign submarine capability – with ASC.”
Australian submarine company ASC has been selected as the Australian Government’s Sovereign Submarine Partner to sustain and jointly build conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines in Australia. Prior to the acquisition of Australia’s own sovereign Virginia Class submarines, ASC will provide sustainment support for visiting US Virginia Class submarines, and UK submarines at Garden Island, WA. This work, undertaken by the newly-established SRF-W, will commence with a rotational presence of US and UK conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines in 2027.
ASC personnel have been undergoing Virginia sustainment training, including on-the-job training deployments at the Pearl Harbor shipyard in Hawaii. ASC currently has more than 180 team members training in Hawaii – this will reach more than 300 people. Each of these employees will return to WA at the conclusion of their training to join SRF-W. And already, 19 members of ASC’s Pearl Harbor-deployed team are currently temporarily back in WA, applying their skills during the Submarine Maintenance Period (SMP) on USS Vermont at Garden Island — a vital step in building our sustainment capability at home. In the early 2030s, Australia is supposed to acquire its own fleet of US-built Virginia Class submarines.
For Editorial Inquiries Contact:
Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected]
For Advertising Inquiries Contact:
Group Sales Director Simon Hadfield at [email protected]
