Australia awards $50 million contract for defence training

The Australian government is building the skills of the Australian Defence Force, awarding a $50 million contract to a Victorian education and training provider to deliver specialist skills training for Defence. The Box Hill Institute, in Melbourne’s CBD, has signed a five-year contract extension that will see it continue to provide technical and trade training to Army, Air Force and Navy personnel. The training will be delivered through the Defence Command Support Training Centre, which operates at a number of Defence bases across Australia. It will include developing the cyber, communications, military policing and intelligence skills of new and existing ADF personnel. Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said the contract demonstrated the Morrison Government’s recognition of the importance of ensuring the ADF had the strongest, most contemporary skillset to defend Australia. “We know that our sailors, soldiers and aviators must have the best training support available, both now and into the future,” Price said. “We are facing a deteriorating strategic environment where the challenges we face are constantly changing. This means our training must be cutting edge and adaptable to ensure we are ready to deal with the threats at hand, and I am extremely confident that this contract will ensure that happens. The Morrison Government is proud to invest in programs that further strengthen Defence’s industry partnerships. The Box Hill Institute has considerable experience working hand-in-hand with military instructors and I am confident that it will continue to provide highly effective training.” About 35 percent of the trainees are new to Defence and completing their initial employment training in their trade, with the remainder current serving personnel returning for career development or progression training in their trade. The new contract includes music training for ADF musicians to generate the Air Force, Navy and Army band capabilities. The contract will adapt to the future learning requirements of Defence, including accommodating increases in training capacity. The Box Hill Institute has been training the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force, Australian Public Servants and members of foreign nation’s militaries since 2014. The CST program currently trains in excess of 1,200 Defence members annually. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Director of Sales Graham Joss at [email protected]