Defence industry businesses are being given greater access to a government grant aimed at growing the skills of Australia’s defence industry. The Skilling Australia’s Defence Industry (SADI) program offers grants of up to half a million dollars to support the skilling needs of eligible small to medium businesses, with the government providing $39 million over the next two years. Following feedback from industry, the SADI guidelines have been amended to broaden eligibility requirements for skilling and training and for training providers. Defence industry businesses can now apply for grants for a number of activities to help Australian businesses to become ‘defence ready’.
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said the government had listened to business and responded by expanding and improving access to training offerings through the SADI grants program. “SADI can now support defence industry in technical and trade skills training, improved human resources practices, apprenticeship supervision, and on-the-job training,” Price said.
Other types of eligible training include design, engineering, project/program management and logistics. It also includes training to enhance understanding of Commonwealth Government processes, such as procurement services and Defence operations, and support services, including information technology and cyber security.
“The Defence Teaming Centre is one industry association that is now able to use its SADI grant to provide a Diploma of Digital Technologies course to 16 participants who represent 14 different small to medium Australian defence businesses,” Price said. “This government’s support for skills training is part of our plan to develop the workforce needed to deliver on our historic $270 billion investment in Defence capability. A skilled workforce will help build our sovereign industrial capabilities, support innovation and grow the competitiveness of Australian industry, both here and overseas.”
Since September 2020, the government has awarded 34 grants to industry businesses to the amount of almost $2 million.
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