THE HON PAT CONROY MP
MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTRY AND CAPABILITY DELIVERY
MINISTER FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE PACIFIC
MEDIA RELEASE
BUILDING AUSTRALIA’S FUTURE STEM WORKFORCE
The Albanese Government is building a future made in Australia by helping students
pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) with
critical funding for educational pathways that can lead to a career in Australia’s
defence industry.
Ten new grants through the Schools Pathways Program will go to organisations,
enabling them to collaborate with schools and educational institutions to deliver
innovative programs across the STEM domains.
A highly educated, well trained industrial workforce with cutting-edge skills, spanning
a wide range of specialisations, is also critical to the successful delivery of the
capabilities needed by the Australian Defence Force to keep Australians safe.
By delivering these skills through the Schools Pathways Program, the Albanese
Government is helping ensure Australia has the workforce it needs to meet our
current and future strategic and national security priorities through partnerships
across government, universities and industry.
Today’s announcement sees more than $11 million in grants awarded across the
country, including:
$1.9 million to With You With ME to support the Defence Industry Pathways
Program that will engage with millions of students, parents, teachers and
community members across the country, including providing 3,300 students
access to information sessions, skill-mapping and mentoring in relation to
defence industry careers.
$1.7 million to Australian Remote Operations for Space and Earth Ltd for the
AVISTA program that will reach 200 schools, and engage students, teachers,
and parents across Australia through hands-on STEM activities, virtual reality
experiences, and defence career summits.
$397,493 to MEGT Australia to support school-based traineeships and
apprenticeships in the naval shipbuilding and broader defence industry in
Adelaide and Perth.
$1.6 million to Fleet Space Technologies Pty Ltd, based in South Australia, for
the LaunchBox program that provides teacher-led classroom lessons and
works with students to build and launch an educational satellite.
$536,243 to Technology for Education Solutions for its Beacon Pathways
program which sees South Australian students solve real world problems
using immersive virtual reality (VR), 3D modelling and coding.
Further details of all awarded grants can be found on the GrantConnect website
(https://www.grants.gov.au/).
The awarding of these grants delivers on the Government’s commitment under the
2024 Defence Industry Development Strategy.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery,
the Hon Pat Conroy MP:
“The Albanese Government recognises the essential contributions that Australian
businesses and educational institutions make to training and developing the talent
pipeline we needed by our defence industry.
“The Schools Pathways Program and our partnerships with the industry and
education sector are key to ensuring our students are equipped with the skills
needed for the advanced and high-tech jobs of tomorrow.
“With these grants the Albanese Government is supporting the defence industry by
strengthening our nation’s future STEM capable workforce and continuing our
investment in a future made in Australia.”
Quotes attributable to South Australian Minister for Education, Training and
Skills, Blair Boyer MP:
“We have a big job ahead of us to grow our workforce to meet the demands of the
defence industry and other growth areas in our state.
“The Malinauskas Labor Government is committed to working with the Albanese
Labor Government to invest in young people to build the pathways to cater for huge
projects we have coming online in the next few years – including the AUKUS project
where we will need big growth in young people skilled in the sector.
“We are building five technical colleges specifically with those demands in mind, and
offering new careers pathways within schools to support students, key industries and
employers.”
Quotes attributable to Senator for South Australia Marielle Smith:
“We want to see every single South Australian student with a passion for STEM find
the opportunity of a lifetime right here in SA. If you want to build a career in STEM,
South Australia is the place to be, and both the federal and state governments are
investing heavily to ensure that stays the case for generations to come.
“Programs like these will ensure even more young South Australians have an
opportunity to sharpen their STEM skills, explore new professional pathways and get
involved right now in incredibly cool, cutting edge projects, like building and
launching an educational satellite.”
Authorised by The Hon Pat Conroy MP, Minister for Defence Industry and Capability
Delivery, Australia
