The Defence Teaming Centre and Engineers Australia have collaborated to offer graduate engineers a professional development program to pave the way for their participation in the defence sector. It is hoped the program, the first of its kind in Australia, will contribute meaningfully to addressing the skills and workforce challenges faced by Australia in delivering on its SSN-AUKUS obligations.
Australia’s defence capability, strategic autonomy, and technological advancement rely heavily on skilled engineers to support this complex and critical sector. The Defence Graduate Learning Program is an 18-month self-paced course that equips graduate engineers with the skills they need to thrive in the complex world of defence and will be of value to graduate engineers representing small, medium, large and even defence primes. Engineers will gain essential knowledge and critical insights into the structure of defence, the strategic environment and capability development and procurement to enhance their ability to contribute effectively to defence related projects and initiatives.
CEO of the Defence Teaming Centre Libby Day said that it is critical that Australia makes an immediate start on developing the high-performing engineers it needs to drastically improve sovereign Defence capability to deliver on SSN-AUKUS requirements. “This is an opportunity for small and medium engineering businesses, not just those already in the Defence industry, to equip their graduate engineers with the vital knowledge they require to participate in the incredible opportunities that lie ahead,” explained Day. “Engineering skills are already in short supply and are vital to AUKUS and Australia’s evolving Defence capability needs generally,” added Ms. Day. “We have to substantially increase the pool of high-performing engineers we have at our disposal.”
Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew said engineers are critical to Australia’s national security. “To address the growing workforce demands and the engineering skills shortage, the Defence industry must prioritise investing in the development of its emerging engineers,” said Madew. “This partnership supports organisations in transitioning their Graduate Engineers into the workplace, laying the foundation for a successful engineering career in Defence. By integrating industry-specific training with engineering skills development, this program empowers graduates with the autonomy and confidence needed to make significant contributions to their teams and Defence projects.”
Delivered online over 18-months, the self-paced program begins on 12 September and Engineers Australia will be hosting a webinar on 17 July to offer more insight on the program and its contents.
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